Malevolence Rising
by dracohalo117
Summary: A neglected child, a chance discovery, a new purpose, and the beginning...of the end of days. And from the depths of the Abyss shall come forth a roar of triumph and from the High Heavens a shudder of fear as the world of man, the world of shinobi, shall bring forth the rise of a new Lord of Terror...Dark/Evil Naruto, harem, Uzumakicest
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: **Neither I, nor my writing partner Lord of Daemons owns Naruto or Diablo…Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto…Diablo is owned by Blizzard

**Oc's and Concepts:** The Original characters and concepts of this story were created Lord of Daemons and myself, we worked very hard to create the original characters and the concepts, and we would appreciate that you do not use our Original Characters or our concepts without expressed permission from **BOTH** of us.

**Notice:** In case any of you are wondering, or have not noticed this story, along with just about any other story made by myself, and Lord of Daemons will be AU, the characters will be OOC, and above all else, we will NOT be following canon. We will extract elements FROM canon, but we will not be doing a rewrite of the canon storyline.

**Important!:** Read the bottom AN, concepts in this chapter will be slightly confusing at first, and I know many of you will send vast quantities of Hate Mail for them for one reason or another, though hopefully after you read our reasoning for those concepts you will understand.

**Attention!**: I am asking those of you who read my stories, and read the stories of others, to hear me out.

I have been on FanFiction for a long time, so long that the only reason I remember when I got on FanFiction is because the day I started FanFiction, an important event happened in my life. Over the years I have seen so many authors publish great works, wonderful and elaborate stories that I tried to emulate as I tried to perfect my own writing style.

At the same time though, I saw many stories and many authors go unappreciated. I have seen authors give up on FanFiction because they receive so few hits and reviews. Now note, I understand many of you don't have the time in a day to read every single story on FanFiction, I dedicate hours of my day to FanFiction and I still don't get to as many stories as I would like to get to. But some of these authors I feel are working so hard on their Fanfics, and aren't getting the praise and fanbase that the amount of effort and careful detailing they put into their work deserves.

Hell, I know of at least a couple Fanfic authors who are considering leaving the site because they are unappreciated.

I know, I know, many of you will say that you shouldn't write for anyone other than yourself, I get that. However, I can admit that although I write for myself, I feel down whenever my work isn't appreciated by others, especially when I put so much time and effort into it.

Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

Eye of the storm-Lord of Daemons

Onigumo: The Demon's Web-Lord of Daemons

Naruto: Strange Aeons-Lord of Daemons

Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

Please read and review these stories, they are really great stories, and I personally feel they are not getting the attention they deserve.

Now, before any of you ask in the reviews, or make an assumption…under absolutely no circumstances is Kushina Uzumaki the current, or former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko…THAT…is not happening. Do you hear me, under absolutely NO CIRCUMSTANCES is that happening in this story! NEVER! I HATE that concept! HATE IT!

**Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...**

* * *

The cries of woe and agony erupted forth, deep within the dark confines of what were once the proud and illustrious halls of the High Heavens. Where once there was light, there was only darkness, even as the fires of the Burning Hells swept through the broken remnants of the Diamond Gates, who until this day, had never once been breached.

The heavenly host, the armies of the High Heavens fought against the coming onslaught of the infernal legions, which ruled over the Burning Hells.

A pointless effort in the end, their battles meaningless in comparison to a battle that was soon to be fought above them, in the heart of the High Heavens, at the very center of the Silver City, the most important place in all of the High Heavens, said to be the spine of the Primordial being Anu, and the location where every last denizen of the High Heavens is sung into creation.

The Crystal Arch.

The Crystal Arch is the origin, the conduit, the very source of the power that flowed through each and every warrior of the Heavenly Host. It is from this great spire, that the power used by the Heavenly Host, the power used by the Angels, sprang forth. All light radiates from this sacred spire, and in all the universe, there is no place more revered and sacred than the Crystal Arch.

It has been shown, that when all of the Angels are in sync with the gentle and harmonious rhythm created by the Crystal Arch, an Angel may be born. In this, the Crystal Arch is the High Heavens greatest strength, and its greatest weakness.

Should the Arch be corrupted, the Angels and the Heavenly Host will be powerless, their wings clipped, grounded.

Should the Arch topple, then the High Heavens themselves will fall.

It was this fact that drove the last savior of the High Heavens to ascend the great staircase which lead to its peak. Their armor clinking as their sword glowed with power, power that cut through their enemies with each swing of their sword.

The figure ducked underneath a swing that came from a tall and imposing demon, before they drove their sword deep into the demon's chest, causing it to roar in pain before they kicked the demon off the edge of the great staircase, and fell to their doom.

The figure wasted no time and charged forward, cutting through the coterie of demons as they poured down the staircase from the top of the Crystal Arch.

At the top of the staircase, two demons, Aspects of Terror, flanked an impressive knight-like figure, their armor seemingly forged from demon bones, their figure towering over any mere man, and their form casting an even deeper shadow than what was already there.

The figure looked upon the warrior who slayed the demons that swarmed against him, and their hellish red eyes glowed brighter as they narrowed.

The two Aspects of Terror flanking him snarled and hissed as they looked to the powerful figure.

The demonic knight raised a single hand and spoke with an uncaring, yet piercing tone to his voice, _"Remove the aberration, swiftly."_

In less than the time it took to blink, the two Aspects of Terror launched themselves onto the staircase, charging upon the figure slaughtering their brethren.

Meanwhile, the demon merely crossed their arms, and watched.

The figure slammed their sword deep into the chest of a slobbering demon as they tried to drive their weapon deep into their skull. The figure pushed the demon off of their sword, ready to swing it again.

Only for them to be toppled over as one of the Aspects of Terror jumped on them, and knocked the sword right out of their hands, slobbering as they tried to drive their slavering jaw into their throat.

The figure grunted and cursed as they tried to push the Aspect of Terror off of them, to no avail, as the demon was simply too intent on killing them.

The other Aspect of Terror crowed and roared from the sidelines as they slowly stalked forward, their claws seemingly growing as they readied to pounce and attack at a moment's notice.

The figure kept pushing against the demon, which finally began to give way, and thus allowed for the figure to reach towards their belt, unhitching a small dagger, glistening with a white smoky aura.

The figure gave out a roar cry as the demon shot their head forward in an attempt to kill the figure beneath them.

At the same time, the figure drove the dagger upwards, piercing through the Aspect of Terror's upper jaw, going straight through the top of their head, killing them instantly.

The other Aspect of Terror screeched at this and leapt at the one who had slain its brother.

The figure having free use of their limbs again reached and grasped the hilt of their fallen blade, and swung it just as the demon swung their savage and oppressive claws at them.

With a cry of agony the demon lurched over, and they looked towards their arm, and the still twitching limb which tumbled down the staircase.

The figure pushed the dead demon off of them and turned towards the now one armed Aspect of Terror, their black and boiling blood dripping onto the stairs beneath it as they yowled in pain. The figure tightly clenched his sword and leapt at the demon, their sword slicing through the air.

The demon clearly heard the sound of the sword cutting through the tainted air of the High Heavens, and turned their attention towards the one who had sliced off its arm, just in time to see the blade the figure wielded before its vision went black as the glistening blade bisected the demons skull, top, to bottom.

At the top of the staircase, the demonic knight visibly clenched his fingers as he uncrossed his arms.

At the same time, the figure ripped their sword out of the demons head and let its corpse tumble down the steps, and looked up to the top of the staircase, where the demon knight looked down upon the slayer of the two Aspects of Terror.

The figure narrowed their eyes, and spoke, "It is time for you to join your _brothers_ in the Burning Hells demon!"

The demonic knight simply stared down at the figure, their gaze promising cruelty and punishment for all time.

The figure frowned, and began to ascend the stairs once more.

'CRASH' only for the figure to have to dodge as the demonic knight jumped off of the top of the stairs, and crashed right where they had just been standing, causing the staircase to crack as the demonic knight suddenly swung a massive war axe, blazing with unholy fire at the figure, barely being blocked by the figure's sword.

'CLANG' the clashing of the two sharp edges sent blistering sparks outward as the two warriors pressed against the other.

The demonic knight grasped the handle of his axe and pushed forward, his opponent being pushed back in the process, _"Take solace in the knowledge that you and the Angels shall share the High Heavens, as your tomb!"_ the demon pressed their weapon against their opponent.

The figure snarled and pushed back against the demon, "Not before you!" and kicked the demon in the knee, bending it backwards.

The demon howled in pain, loosening their grip on their weapon.

The momentary distraction was enough for the warrior to plunge their blade forward, driving it deep into the throat of the demonic knight.

The demon was silenced, the only sound being made was the gurgling of blood as they stumbled back, the blade slipping from their throat as they fell back, falling off the edge of the great staircase to the battle below.

The figure stood there for a moment, and with a flick of the wrist, forced the majority of their blood off of the blade, before they grasped their luminous dagger in their other hand, and turned towards the ascending stairs.

A frown on their face and a steeled gaze sprang upon their visage, and they swiftly made haste towards the top of the staircase.

To the top of the Crystal Arch.

The warrior ascended to the final step, and marched upon the platform, their weapons held at the ready.

And their voice echoed as they let loose a war cry, "Diablo!"

It was there, atop the Crystal Arch, that the source of the despair below, beheld the ruin of the High Heavens as they stood at the edge of the Crystal Arch's peak, scrutinizing and inspecting the carnage their armies wrought upon the broken forces of the Heavenly Host.

Entire citadels fell within its gaze, burning as the fires of the Burning Hells stormed through the broken crossroads and terraces of the High Heavens.

Angels rounded up and slaughtered by the hundreds, unable to fight back, unable to rise up to stop their demonic oppressors as their armor shattered, and with it, their life force, extinguished.

This was the scene that the Lord of Terror beheld, the scene the Prime Evil bore witness to…the scene that Diablo so long yearned for…the scene that was being interrupted by the interloper behind him.

It was at this moment that Diablo slowly turned his head, and looked upon the warrior who had fought through his armies, a dismissive glance, and a dark chuckle was all that greeted them, _**"So, the Nephalem has come…"**_

The warrior…the Nephalem, stepped forward, their sword raised, pointed at Diablo, "It is over Diablo! Today you, your evil, and the evil your entire race represents will _fall_, once and for all!" their voice echoed across the terrace atop the Crystal Arch, holding such confidence, such conviction, that lesser men would tremble before the intensity of such a voice.

But Diablo was no lesser man.

The Prime Evil only response was a low and dark laughter, which only grew in intensity, until the sound of his laughter echoed across the Crystal Arch like a low rumble.

The force of the laughter shook the Crystal Arch was enough to cause the Nephalem to lose their footing, and stumble to end up on one knee.

Diablo soon ceased his laughter, and began to walk along the edge of the Arch, _**"You haven't an inkling, Nephalem." **_Diablo held out his arm, a single finger outstretched, _**"The Dark Exile and our imprisonment within the soulstones, my own eventual return to life in the wretched Tristram and eventual defeat, along with the possession of the one who defeated me."**_ he had all his fingers outstretched, which he then closed into a fist, _**"The release of my brothers and the 'vanquishing' of our soulstones upon the Hellforge."**_he turned towards the Nephalem, a dark glint of mirth in his eyes, _**"I required a proper vessel, one which could contain my power and more, and my servant was more than willing to sire me one. I required the power of all of the Great Evils, and you and your comrades handed it to me, locked in the Black Soulstone."**_

The Nephalem stood back up, their teeth bared as their hands tightened around their weapons.

Diablo stood tall and outstretched his arms, _**"And here you are, having the gall to suggest that this day is my last?"**_ Diablo erupted into laughter as he pointed towards the burning High Heavens, _**"Look around you Nephalem, look upon the burning remnants of the High Heavens, broken…divided…"**_ Diablo turned and looked upon the High Heavens, _**"The High Heavens, and the Angiris Council, leaderless since the Worldstone shattered, and Malthael fled…the once mighty Tyrael, fell from grace…and Imperius?"**_ Diablo chuckled and looked upon another burning spire, _**"His own pride would never allow him to side with an abomination such as you, Nephalem…"**_

The Nephalem let loose a war cry and charged at Diablo as his back was turned. Diablo did not move from his position as the Nephalem swung their blade, the sword blazing with unearthly light…

Only for the Nephalem to be knocked away, smashing into the walls of the Crystal Arch, causing their sword to fall from his hands, and slide across the ground, far out of their reach.

Diablo snorted as he turned his body, facing the Nephalem as they tried to push themselves back up, _**"The seven evils are one within me, Nephalem! Even if you somehow managed to kill off my forces, I alone am legion!"**_

The Nephalem stood tall, and grasped his dagger, "Then killing you will be seven times the pleasure!" the Nephalem let loose a battle cry and charged forwards.

Diablo took in a deep breath, and let loose a deafening roar, _**"RWOOAAR!"**_ the shock wave shattered the ground beneath Diablo as it charged towards the Nephalem.

The Nephalem saw the incoming wave, and swung their white blazing dagger, slicing through the wave of destruction, and leapt forward.

Diablo snarled and did the same, swinging his arm in a swift slash.

"_CLANG"_ which connected with the Nephalem's dagger and a wave of light, and darkness clashed against one another as the Nephalem and Diablo pressed for dominance.

Diablo growled and swung their other arm at the Nephalem, their blade ready to carve through the Nephalem's flesh.

The Nephalem saw this and pushed against Diablo with all their strength, causing them to get pushed back away from the Prime Evil, dodging the incoming blade which would no doubt have ended, or severely injured him at best.

Diablo snarled and growled, _**"Is that all, Nephalem?"**_

The Nephalem glared at Diablo, "Not even close…"

Diablo's eyes glowed with an unholy light as his mouth suddenly began to glow with a blistering inferno, fire crawled across his back, flowing upon the jagged spines before they crawled over his shoulders, and wrapped around his arms.

The Nephalem readied his dagger, preparing for whatever Diablo threw at him.

The fires condensed into the palms of Diablo's hands, forming ever shifting spheres of fire, swirling like a maelstrom. In but a single instant, Diablo threw the two balls of fire, which hurtled to the Nephalem.

The Nephalem tensed their stance and outstretched their arm, glowing runes flashing all along its length as the energy pooled into their palm.

In a single instant, a beam of light shot out of the Nephalem's palm, ripping through the spheres of fire, dispersing them as the beam of light shot towards Diablo.

Diablo let loose a guttural snarl and simply slashed his claw against the beam of light, causing it to shatter like glass as the light particles flew through the air.

The Nephalem smirked at this, and the runes on their arms glowed brighter.

'BOOM!' in an instant, the light particles exploded around the Prime Evil, and sent him toppling over as he roared in agony.

Diablo tumbled backwards, losing his footing, causing him to fall upon his back, as the whole of his body was covered in burns.

The Nephalem saw this, and then snapped their gaze to their sword, lying at the other side of the Arch's terrace. Swiftly turning the whole of their body, they sprinted towards their fallen sword while Diablo slowly pushed himself up.

The Nephalem was halfway to the blade when Diablo pushed himself to his knees, and let loose a roar, _**"Enough!"**_ and with that he shot his arm forward, unleashing a shockwave that went straight towards the Nephalem.

As the Nephalem was about to make the final leap to their sword, then were suddenly shot off their feet, crashing into the pillars which stood tall within the Crystal Arch.

Diablo chose this moment to stand to his full height, and he spoke, _**"You have proven yourself a rather disdainful nuisance, Nephalem." **_

The Nephalem stood up, and glared towards Diablo, but the edge of their gaze saw something. Against their better judgment, they turned their heads.

And their eyes widened in horror.

Crawling across the outer rim of the Crystal Arch, the flames of the Burning Hells rode forth like a horse drawn legion.

Diablo chortled, the fires of the Burning Hells responding to his whim, _**"Let us see if you are such a nuisance…in my Realm of Terror."**_

The Nephalem looked around as the fires of the Burning Hells consumed more and more of the Crystal Arch.

Their gaze then shifted to their sword, soon to be consumed by the fires.

With swift action, the Nephalem charged towards their sword, and reached out to it as they leapt for it.

The fires of the Burning Hells suddenly wrapped around the blade of the sword.

And the Nephalem wrapped their hand around the hilt.

…

…

…

The Nephalem found themself lost, in a realm of shadows.

In the Realm of Terror.

A dark chuckle echoed throughout the shadows, and the Nephalem suddenly turned around, and they held out the hand they had grabbed their sword with.

Only to find that the sword they had grabbed, was lacking its blade.

"What?!" they looked upon the hilt which had once been the vessel for their blade, now empty of it.

The dark chuckle turned into crushing laughter, as a dark and terrible voice echoed within the Nephalem's head, _**"And how your terror begins, Nephalem. Trapped in my Realm of Terror, all of your fears shall be laid bare, embodied in physical form. Only by defeating them…defeating **_**us**_** can you ever leave this place."**_ the dark laughter softened, and the voice only deepened in malice, _**"But none have ever crawled from the depths of their own terror, none ever will."**_

The Nephalem looked around as they found the darkness closing in around them, until they could not even see the hilt of what once was their sword.

They heard the patter of footsteps behind them, and they swung around at where they heard the sound.

Only for their hand to pass through a broken visage, formed of shadows.

Cursing, they looked around and back down at their hand, where they managed to make out the brief outline of the hilt of their sword.

They had been pulled into the Realm of Terror by the fires of the Burning Hells, that much had been clear. The blade of their sword had to be in here somewhere.

The Nephalem began to look around, in the hopes that the light of their sword would be able to shine through the darkness.

"_Looking for something?"_

The Nephalem suddenly shot around and swung towards the shadow that had spoken, to find nothing.

Gritting their teeth, they roared in anger as a soft and 'human' laughter echoed through the dark realm.

Cursing they began to run through the shadows, as the human laughter began to turn dark and malevolent.

"_**RWOOARR!"**_

The Nephalem's eyes widened for a moment before they ducked under a sweeping claw strike from the darkness.

The Nephalem looked around, trying to find the source of the attack.

Then they remembered what the arm and claw had looked like. It looked like Diablo's arm, yet…it was as if it was composed solely of shadows.

"_**How tastes your fear, Nephalem?"**_

The Nephalem swung around, looking left and right for any signal to where the Lord of Terror might be.

"_**Can you feel your death approaching, Nephalem?"**_

The Nephalem swung their arm out, their eyes filled with anger, they could see absolutely nothing in this infernal place.

"_**Tell me, Nephalem, do you fear death?"**_

The Nephalem scowled and shouted, "I am not afraid of death, and I am not afraid of you Diablo!"

The voice in the darkness chuckled cruelly as the shadows began to part in front of the Nephalem.

"_**Oh, perhaps, but you are afraid of something, aren't you?"**_

The Nephalem snorted coldly, "You think so?" he asked with obvious disdain.

The dark laughter of Diablo broke forward, _**"Think? No…I know, it is what I have always known, what I always **_**will **_**know…the greatest fear, of every last living being, in every single realm."**_

The shadows continued to part in front of the Nephalem, and the eyes of the Nephalem narrowed as their eyes pierced through the shadows.

Only for them to widen again at the sight before them.

Their old village…burned to the ground by the demon hordes, over twenty years prior.

"_**Your greatest fear is that after you have done, sacrificed, and destroyed, that even as you die, you will never have made a difference."**_

The Nephalem looked around as the shadows continued to part as the remnants of their old village became clear to them.

The memories and trauma they had repressed over the years came pushing through full force.

Diablo chuckled within the shadows, _**"Do you remember, Nephalem? How my demons slaughtered your village like cattle, how your beloved family was ripped apart and burned to ashes?"**_

The Nephalem trembled as the memories replayed themselves at the forefront of their mind.

They saw their neighbors be torn through by demons as they ravaged her home.

They saw the soldiers who were supposed to protect them flee in fear, only to be trampled by demons who flew through the skies.

They saw their parents be ripped apart, bisected and bifurcated as the demons savagely feasted on their flesh and bones.

They saw their little brother whimpering for help…and what did she do?

Nothing, but watch as the demons dragged her baby brother away, and whimpered as she heard his screams as he was torn to pieces.

"_**You will never wake from this Nightmare, you will never defeat your own terror, no matter how powerful you have become, your strength, your Nephalem power, it is useless in this realm."**_

She slowly fell to her knees as she tightened her grip around the hilt of her former sword, while the shadows condensed behind her, and the visage of Diablo began to take shape.

"_**So tell me, Nephalem, how does it feel, knowing that you have failed everyone who depended on you?"**_

She did not give Diablo an answer; instead, she looked down to her hands, to the hilt of her sword.

Diablo was right, she was afraid, afraid that after all she had done that no matter what she did, she would never make a difference.

No matter what she did, no matter how many demons she slew, that fear was always dominating her mind. Even after she had defeated Azmodan and Belial, that fear never left her, and when Leah possessed by Diablo, that fear only grew.

But no more.

Even if she died today, she would not let Diablo have his victory…if she died, so would he.

Diablo raised a shadowy arm, and chuckled, _**"Time to die, Nephalem…"**_ and brought his arm swinging down.

The Nephalem's sword hilt suddenly glowed with a bright light, and from the hilt, a silver blade erupted.

Just as Diablo's claws were about to tear through the Nephalem, she dodged out of the way, and swung the sword, severing his arm, forcing it to disperse into shadows.

Diablo's demonic eyes widened for but a moment, before the glint of the sword caught his attention.

Just in time to see it glint before it was rammed through his bottom jaw, straight through his top jaw, and through the top of his head.

The Nephalem drove the blade deeper in, and then in a war cry, ripped it from her foes skull, bifurcating it.

The shadowy form of Diablo erupted in smoke, and the Realm of Terror began to slowly vanish.

The Nephalem looked down at their sword, so vibrant, so powerful.

Just like her.

She tightened her grip, and looked up, the battle was far from over, and whatever it was that faced her when the Realm of Terror fell apart around her, she would be read-

Her inner monologue was broken when out of the broken shadows; the hand of Diablo shot forward, and wrapped itself around her throat, forcing her to gasp in pain as her sword fell from her grip.

Before it touched the ground, it was grabbed in mid-air by Diablo's other hand

The Nephalem choked in pain as Diablo lifted her up, and gazed into her eyes.

Diablo then looked down at the sword she had wielded against him, and snorted, _**"I suppose congratulations are in order. You are the first, Nephalem or otherwise, to have ever escaped the Realm of Terror."**_ he lifted the sword up, _**"But I do wonder, would you have been as successful without this sword, Nephalem?"**_ Diablo then proceeded to nonchalantly toss the sword over the edge of the Crystal Arch, where it fell into the battlefield below.

The Nephalem stared in horror, "No-" only for Diablo to tighten his grip around her throat, and chuckled in a dark throaty growl.

"_**Did you really think that you stood a chance against me, Nephalem? If I had wanted to kill you before, I would have destroyed you before you even reached the first step of the great staircase."**_

The Nephalem gasped as Diablo dropped her, and then pressed his foot against her chest, slowly crushing her as her eyes became bloodshot as she desperately gasped for air.

"_**But a quick death is far too good for you, Nephalem, I want to make you suffer, I want to make you scream and beg for mercy…in fact, how about we start now?!"**_

Diablo swiftly removed his foot from her chest, and before she could even gasp for air, Diablo swung his tail, the spikes along its length digging into her flesh as she was smashed across the ground, sending her hurtling into the walls of the Crystal Arch. As she tried to push herself, coughing and wheezing in agony, Diablo stomped to her and grabbed her legs, and proceeded to savagely swing her around and smash her into the ground.

She coughed up large globules of blood as she tried to reach for her dagger, only for her arm to be grabbed by Diablo as he swung her back into the ground, twisting the arm out of place.

Diablo chuckled as she lay bleeding on the ground, and kicked her in the sides, rolling her onto her back as he pressed his foot against her chest. He felt her ribs crack as he applied further pressure against her chest, her eyes nearly popping out of her sockets as she desperately gasped for air.

Diablo looked down upon her, and chuckled cruelly, _**"All that you have known, all that you have loved, will now die with you, Nephalem."**_ he outstretched his arm, the blade upon it glowing with his dark power as he swung it downwards, aimed straight for the Nephalem's head.

'SCHING''SQUELCH'

Only for Diablo to briefly slow as he heard the unsheathing of a blade…and for indescribable agony to rip through his head as a sword tore through his eye, _**"RAAAGHHH!"**_ Diablo stumbled back as he reached up to grasped the sword in his eye, releasing the Nephalem from underfoot.

The sword was driven deeper in as whoever wielded it applied further pressure on the driving force of the blade.

Diablo roared in pain, and finally grasped the leg of whoever wielded the blade and tore them off, throwing them far away from him, taking the sword with them.

Diablo looked up with his remaining eye, and for the first time, his eyes widened in shock as he saw who it was before him.

"_**Tyrael!"**_ he shouted in disbelief, as there before him was the former Archangel Tyrael, who had fallen from the heavens, and became mortal.

Or, so he had believed.

For standing before him, while mortal in appearance, he bore the starting ropes of what he could tell were Archangel wings, while Tyrael's face was already have missing, while a hood adorned his head, the sword El'druin, which had been used to fell countless demons in hand, embodied in what so deeply resembled its true glory.

Diablo snarled as his damaged eye was alit with his unholy malice, as it tried to reform itself, _**"How? How are you as you are? You fell Tyrael, how are you an Archangel once again?" **_he spoke in anger and hate, his voice promising punishment for the Archangel of Justice before him.

Tyrael frowned at Diablo with what was little left of his face, _"Unlike my former lieutenant, Izual, I fell willingly. I could return to the High Heavens whenever I desired…and so I have, Diablo."_

Diablo snarled, _**"If that is the case, then why are you not powerless like your breth-"**_ Diablo silenced himself as three pillars of light erupted in front of him, and he covered his eyes. After a few moments, he looked up again, and his eyes narrowed as he beheld the sight before him.

Auriel, Archangel of Hope.

Itherael, Archangel of Fate.

Imperius, Archangel of Valor, in hand, the broken remains of the Solarion, the Spear of Valor.

Each of them, bearing their wings.

Diablo snarled, the sight before him answering his question, _**"So, it seems even with the corruption of the Crystal Arch, the Archangels are not as powerless as I had thought, I should have expected this."**_

Tyrael stepped forward, his sword drawn, _"We are united against you Diablo, even as the Prime Evil. You will not have your victory this day, we shall die before we allow you your victory."_

Diablo snarled at them,_**"So be it."**_ and charged upon them.

Tyrael swung his blade at Diablo, which he blocked with the blades upon his arms.

Imperius took to the skies as he brought the tip of Solarion down, slashing it into the crest upon Diablo's head.

Auriel and Itherael remained at a distance as they began to chant in the tongue of the High Heavens, spheres of holy light forming in their hands.

Tyrael continued to slash at Diablo, while the Nephalem leapt over Tyrael, driving her dagger into the still healing wound made by Tyrael moments before.

In a cry of anger, Diablo grabbed the Nephalem by their legs and was about to throw them, only for Imperius to ram the tip of Solarion deep into Diablo's arm, _**"RAAGGHH!"**_ and slashed at Imperius.

The Nephalem leapt off of Diablo, as Tyrael leapt back as well.

Diablo snarled and turned to charge upon them.

Only for him to roar in agony as Itherael and Auriel leapt upon him, and struck him with the spheres of light, burning into his flesh and bone.

Diablo was pushed back as his arms were skinned and his bones fragmented, part of his lower jaw being revealed from the attack, along with his ribs.

Imperius saw a moment to charge in, and did so. Tyrael and the Nephalem followed suit.

Diablo tried to strike at them, only for them to dodge out of his way, and proceed with their attack.

Tyrael thrust El'druin deep between Diablo's ribs, while Imperius stabbed into his remaining eye.

As Diablo roared in agony, the Nephalem charged a powerful light through her arms, the runes along her arms glowing brightly as she leapt upon Diablo, just in time for his other eye to finish healing.

Diablo saw her incoming strike, but was unable to dodge, or block her.

The Nephalem swung a powerful strike upon the side of Diablo's face with such force, that the ground around them cracked and crumbled beneath them, and Diablo was sent hurtling back, crashing so hard into the walls of the Crystal Arch, that they crumbled behind him.

Diablo groaned in pain as his dark power fought to heal his wounds, grasping onto the sides of the Crystal Arch as he tried to push himself up.

Tyrael saw Diablo begin to stand, and ran forward, his sword poised to deliver what he hoped would be the final blow.

Diablo's eyes snapped open, one healed, the other filled with his dark power, and he took in a deep breath.

Imperius saw this and shouted, _"Tyrael no!"_

Tyrael did not cease, and leapt upon Diablo as his wings began to glow even brighter, and his face completely vanished beneath his hood.

And Diablo opened his mouth, and let loose a deafening roar, which tore through the top of the Crystal Arch, smashing into Tyrael and sending him careening backwards.

Imperius, Auriel, and Itherael were not able to move out of the way, and suffered the same fate.

The Nephalem had been able to get out of the way of the primary wave, but was still sent careening off to the side.

Diablo completely stood up, and snarled, _**"Even united, you fall."**_ and he stomped forward, and he grabbed the closest angel, lifting off the ground.

Auriel was now being squeezed within his grip, groaning in pain as she tried to pry his fingers off of her.

Diablo snarled and raised his arm, the blade upon it growing in length, and he was about to swing.

'SCHING'

Only for Diablo to feel a sudden weightlessness around his arm, before he felt absolutely nothing…but pain.

Diablo released Auriel and roared in agony as he clutched the stump where his arm used to be, his blood boiling out as he looked up to the one who had sliced off his arm.

At the same time, the other Archangels looked as well.

Auriel was the first to speak, _"M-Malthael?"_

Floating in the air, their weapon held out, covered in the blood which had once dwelled within Diablo, was the Archangel of Wisdom, Malthael himself.

Diablo roared in anger and tried to grab the Archangel, only for them to vanish, and appear with the other four Archangels.

Diablo snarled and looked at them, his rage evident as his eyes burned in vengeful fury, his wounds still slowly healing.

Malthael held out his hand…and shot forward.

It did not take a second afterwards for the other four Archangels to follow his lead.

Diablo ducked and slashed at the Archangels as they slashed, burned, and beat into his flesh.

He slashed at Malthael once more, who blocked it with his weapon, whilst Auriel struck the side of his face.

Diablo stumbled back and swung his tail at them.

Imperius flipped over Diablo's tail and vanished in a plume of light, and stabbed the tip of Solarion deep into the side of Diablo's face. Tyrael followed up and stabbed El'druin into Diablo's shoulder.

Itherael prepared a stream of light energy as the other four battered at his defenses.

Malthael looked back at Itherael, and nodded his head.

Itherael nodded as well, and shot the stream of light at Diablo.

The other Archangels swiftly got out of the way, just as Diablo turned to face them, and the stream of light barreled into his chest, burning away at his defenses.

The Archangels flanked Itherael, their weapons at the ready as they waited to make their next move.

Diablo panted as he grasped a fallen pillar, crushing it as he stood up.

The stream of light had damaged his bones, but his demonic power was quickly healing him.

Off to the side, the Nephalem saw the battle at hand, and cursed as she tried to find a weapon. But to her anger, all her weapons had been used up, or were lost to her.

The Archangels were not pulling any punches either, and so far they had not been able to injure Diablo enough to make sure he stayed down.

Cursing, she kept looking around, if they didn't defeat Diablo soon, then the High Heavens would fall. But what could possibly be enough to deliver the killing blow-

…

…

…

In that instant, she saw the severed arm of Diablo off to the side, on the back of it, a blade that Diablo had used to block El'druin and many of the other strikes done against him.

With a deep and intense look, she ran to the severed arm, and swiftly proceeded to attempt to rip the blade off, a harder task than she had expected.

Tyrael had seen what she was doing, and realized her plan; he turned to the others, _"Keep him busy!"_ and he shot off to aid the Nephalem.

Imperius scowled, but a single motion from Malthael silenced him, and they continued the offensive against Diablo.

The Nephalem grit her teeth as she failed to rip the blade off of Diablo's arm.

'SCHING'

Only for her to stumble back as Tyrael sliced the tendons with his sword blazing with holy light, severing the blade from the arm.

The Nephalem looked up at Tyrael, who nodded his head, and then flew to aid his comrades.

Diablo slashed and weaved at them, managed to injure Malthael as he slashed his blade at him in addition to swiping against him with his tail.

Imperius and Auriel struck against him with heavenly light, as they pushed him closer to the edge of the Crystal Arch.

Tyrael weaved through Diablo's assault, and once more drove El'druin deep into his eyes.

Malthael looked back, and although it could not be seen, a pleased look glinted within.

A single motion was all Malthael needed to give, and the Archangels jumped away from the writhing Prime Evil.

Diablo roared in anger and turned, ready to attack them.

Auriel responded by sending a ball of heavenly light directly into his face, blinding him.

Diablo roared in rage and agony and grasped at his eyes, stumbling further back, until his feet were pressed right at the edge of the broken remains of the Crystal Arch's walls.

Diablo snarled and snapped his eyes open as his vision returned.

The last thing he saw before tearing pain ripped through him, was the Nephalem, holding the blade which had once been on his severed arm, charging at him.

And the blade itself, ripping through the front of his damaged chest.

A roar of pain echoed across the Crystal Arch's terrace as Diablo stumbled, his foot falling off the edge, and his remaining arm shot out, grabbing onto the edge of the wall, while the Nephalem continued to jam the blade into his chest.

The Nephalem grit her teeth in pain as she clenched the blade tightly, cutting into her hands as she pushed the blade through his damaged flesh, and breaking the barrier of the front of his rib cage.

Diablo snarled and tried to pull himself up, and despite his wounded condition, he was succeeding.

The Nephalem saw this, and flashes of the horrors she saw which lead her into the life she was in now played in her mind.

With a raging fire burning in her eyes, she felt the runes adorning her body glow brighter, as her own eyes began to glow as she shouted, "Go to hell!" and with a final push, she jammed the blade further into Diablo.

Ripping through his ribcage, his organs, and right through his back.

"_**RWOOARR!"**_ Diablo roared as his body was overcome from the sheer torment the wound caused him.

With a loud scraping sound as his claws dragged across the broken pieces of the Crystal Arch, Diablo released his hold upon the broken walls of the Crystal Arch…and with the Nephalem, fell to his death.

The Nephalem did not let go of the blade, instead she tried to drive it further in, her anger and rage overriding her reason as she sought to ensure Diablo died.

She wanted the Prime Evil to pay for what his hordes had done to her village, to her family, to _her_.

If she had to die to do that, then so be it.

Diablo looked up at the enraged eyes of the Nephalem, and for the first time, Diablo felt so surprisingly…mortal.

Here he was, falling to his doom, after his great moment of triumph, felled by the hands of a united front that he had never considered.

Diablo turned his attention to himself, as he suddenly began to feel parts of himself fade away.

His tail and legs were disintegrating into broken ashes as he fell, and it was swiftly affecting the rest of his body.

Diablo was dying…but there was something different in the way he was dying this time. Diablo had died many times before, he knew the sensation of death all too well, how his soul would be drawn into the Abyss to be reborn again…but that pull was not there, that sense of inevitability was replaced by one of nothingness.

Diablo was not going to be reborn this time…he was never coming back.

He was dying for good this time.

His eyes were filled with horror at this revelation, and his gaze turned to his chest, to where the Black Soulstone lay buried within him.

His teeth grit tightly, knowing that if he desired to live, there was only one way to do it.

He lifted his remaining arm, and in a motion more swift than any blow he had ever dealt…

Diablo rammed his clawed hand into his chest, and wrapped his clawed fingers around the Black Soulstone…and he began to squeeze.

The Nephalem saw what he had done, and her own eyes widened as the glow of her eyes and the runes upon her body dimmed.

Diablo raised his head, and looked into the eyes of the Nephalem, and snarled, _**"I will **_**never**_** die."**_

And he crushed the Black Soulstone in his chest.

The Nephalem was thrown back by the explosion caused by this event, as Diablo's body combusted, and the Black Soulstone exploded forth, sending hundreds of shards into the sky.

Each shard glowing with demonic power.

The shard shot through the skies like unholy comets, before suddenly, they vanished through what appeared to be miniature rifts, as if the High Heavens themselves rejected their presence.

The Nephalem stared off into the skies as she fell, and she saw the shards of the Black Soulstone, imbued with the demonic power of Diablo, vanish through rifts…their destination unknown.

'_No.'_ her eyes were brimming with tears, as she was overcome by despair.

Her eyes looked to the city below, and she saw the ground below her.

A shimmer touched her pupils.

A stabbing pain tore through her chest.

…

…

…

The Nephalem gasped in pain as blood poured from her mouth, and the gaping wound in her chest.

Coughing pitifully as she felt her lungs begin to fill with blood, as the rest of it oozed out of her wound.

Her head fell as her strength left her, and she looked upon the instrument which had been her ultimate end.

Sheathed hilt first in the ground, its blade standing upwards, ripping through her chest, and stained with her blood…was her own sword.

Coughing pathetically, she slowly began to close her eyes, a single tear dripping down her face.

As it fell from her face, it landed in the pool of her own blood beneath her, sending ripples through the pool of blood which reflected her features.

In the end, her greatest fear had come to pass; she had died, and not made a single bit of difference.

Atop the Crystal Arch, the Archangels looked down upon the High Heavens when they saw Diablo's final act, and the Soulstones vanishing from the High Heavens, imbued with the power of the Burning Hells.

Tyrael fell to his knees, his armor slowly returning to him as his wings grew anew, as his voice conveyed his horror, _'No…'_

Auriel slowly walked up behind Tyrael and gently placed a hand on his shoulder as she too looked upon the High Heavens.

Imperius clenched his fist, before he turned away from the High Heavens, and marched towards the staircase leaving the Crystal Arch.

Malthael stepped forward…and spoke, _"The battle is ours…the war has only just begun…"_

Sanctuary

Sanctuary, a place between the High Heavens, and the Burning Hells, which had at one point been created to serve as a sanctuary for Angels and Demons who grew tired of the Great Conflict, the war to decide who would dominate all creation. It was on this realm that the first race of man was born, the Nephalem. But thanks to the machinations of the Archangel, Inarius, the realm of Sanctuary was cloaked from the Burning Hells and the High Heavens, and at the same time, the Nephalem grew weaker with each passing generation. This did not sit well with Inarius' demon lover, Lilith, who had slaughtered all the other Demons and Angels in sanctuary so she could turn the Nephalem into her own personal army.

And so Sanctuary became a new battlefield in the Great Conflict.

High above the skies of Sanctuary, the skies crackled with crimson lightning, as beams of burning light fell from the sky, crashing into the earth below.

One such stream of light fell after the others, and the light surrounding it dissipated as it simply fell.

It revealed a black stone, tinted a crimson color, no larger than a child's pinky finger, glowing with an unholy light.

This stone fell to the earth, jutting out of the ground as the rain fell, and a river began to glow upon it, moving it from its position and letting it flow downstream, its glow never fading.

The stone finally ceased its flow as it reached the bottom of a hill, and it floated in a small pool of murky water, before it slowly began to sink downward.

As it sank below the water, its glow lit up the pool of water, until the weakened soil of the hill suddenly broke free, tumbling down the hill, and splashing into the puddle.

Burying the stone along with it.

Time Skip

In a great forest in the mountains, a small group of cloaked individuals cut through the undergrowth, while other members of the group carried a stretcher with a wounded man atop it.

One of the cloaked individuals cursed as their sword broke, "Damn Senju! What do they grow trees of, iron?" they tossed their broken sword to the ground and began to perform signs with their hands.

Another figure reached out and grabbed their hands, squeezing tightly, "Are you crazy? We are deep in Senju territory, do you want to make it easier for them to find us?" the figure said with a scathing tone.

The man on the stretcher groaned in pain, and began to cough up blood.

One of the cloaked figures ran up to the stretcher and placed a hand to their forehead, "Damn it all, he is getting worse." he looked to three other figures, "You three, set up a perimeter, we have to perform emergency treatment now."

The three figures nodded and quickly shot into the trees.

One of the figures suddenly appeared atop a tree branch, and looked around, searching for any sign of activity. When they found none, they closed their eyes and performed a hand sign. A pulse echoed from their body, and traveled through the tree line.

They sighed and looked up, and reached up to the hood covering their head, and swiftly removed it.

The figure was a pale individual with onyx black hair, with eyes that matched. Their facial complexion was soft, though definitely masculine in some respects.

Taking a step forward, they fell from the branch they stood upon into the forest below.

Landing softly, they looked around before standing upright, and began to walk forward.

"_Senkusha…"_

The figure snapped their head to their left, hearing a whisper. They looked around, their eyes darting back and forth as they grasped the hilt of their sword, which was slung across their back. They swiftly brought it out, and held it out, ready to strike at a moment's notice.

"_Senkusha…"_

The figure…Senkusha…looked behind himself as he heard the whisper come from behind him.

"_Come to me…come to me Senkusha…"_

Senkusha hesitantly walked forward, as his eyes seemed to dim, as if some force was calling him, controlling him, he felt as if he were a passenger in his own body, existing within it, but holding absolutely no control over himself.

Pushing past the undergrowth, hacking through the vines, he kept moving forward, never once taking note of his surroundings.

In the trees above him, two cloaked figures looked down upon him, watching every move he made.

The smaller of the two turned their head, and spoke in a defined feminine voice, "Should we kill him?"

The other figure seemed to stare down at Senkusha, watching his movements. His movements were not erratic, he was not searching for something, he was headed for a destination.

Raising their hand and speaking in a deep masculine voice, "No…an Uchiha would not risk going so deep into our territory without a reason." he turned his head to his comrade, "We shall follow, and see what was so important he would risk his life for it."

The female nodded her head, and looked back at Senkusha.

Senkusha pushed past the vines and low hanging branches, his eyes devoid of any consciousness.

"_Senkusha…come to me…set me free…"_

Senkusha heeded the call, and pushed past the low hanging branches, and moved forward.

Entering a small dead patch in the middle of the forest.

The grass was dry, dead, nothing was alive here. There were even small skeletons belonging to assorted creatures of the wilderness.

And in the center of the dead patch, there was a small distorted circle…where even the soil was dead.

"_Set me free…"_

Senkusha stumbled forward, falling to his knees, and he began to drag his fingers through the dead soil, ripping up the dirt and sand, even as his fingers were sliced open from the jagged parts of the soil.

In the trees, the two figures watched in confusion and curiosity as they saw Senkusha digging his hands through the soil in the dead patch. What could he possibly have hidden here?

Senkusha kept digging…only to stop as he suddenly jerked back, his finger being sliced open from an unusually sharp object in the soil.

"_Yes…"_

Senkusha stared into the small hole he had made, and with a gasping noise, he reached in, and wrapped his fingers around what he had found, and stared at it.

A black stone which was tinted a deep crimson color, no larger than his son's pinky finger, glistening in the light with a dark and foreboding aura.

"Senkusha!"

Senkusha shot up, and turned his head.

He saw another of his comrades running towards him, his face clearly holding annoyance, "Damn it Senkusha, what the hell are you doing all the way out here? We need to get back to the caravan now." he grabbed Senkusha by the arm and tried to drag him.

Senkusha never moved an inch.

The figure turned and looked at him, "Senkusha stop bei-" he stopped mid-sentence as he saw the look on Senkusha's face.

Senkusha was staring, but not like a normal stare, that was something he could handle.

This stare was…different, as if Senkusha was looking at him _and_ through him.

He shivered under Senkusha's stare, "A-Aniki?"

Senkusha stared at his comrade…his little brother as he tightened his grip around his sword, and the stone in his hand.

"_Kill…"_

Senkusha stared at his brother.

His brother stared, "Senku-"

'SQUELCH'

…

…

…

His eyes widened in horror and pain, as he felt Senkusha's blade drive through his chest, and he violently coughed up blood that was quickly filling his lungs.

He slowly lifted his head, and looked into Senkusha's eyes.

Senkusha's Sharingan eyes.

His brother coughed, and tried to reach out, "A-Aniki…" he gasped out, before his head fell over, the life extinguished from his body.

In the trees, the two Senju stared in shock and horror as Senkusha swiftly removed the blade from his brother, and proceeded to look into his hand, where they saw the stone glow in his hand.

Choosing that moment, they launched themselves from the tree.

Senkusha looked down at the stone, his vision fading in and out as his eyes seemed to burn, but never once did he make a single motion to show he was in pain.

"Uchiha!"

Senkusha slowly looked upward, and he saw two Senju staring him down, their weapons drawn.

The female Senju spoke up, "Whatever you have there must be pretty valuable. How about you hand it over and we will let you leave here with your life."

Senkusha stared at the female Senju, his eyes blazing with absolute fury. How dare the filthy Senju suggest he hand over what was his.

Senkusha snarled, "It…is…mine!"

The female Senju snorted, "Alright, guess we'll just have to pry it from y-AGHH!"

The female Senju screamed in agony as suddenly her legs were covered in black flames that swiftly began to crawl up her body, burning away her flesh.

The other Senju ran over to her as she fell over, "No!" and he was about to try and put out the fires.

Senkusha saw this and shouted, "I will not let you take it!"

The other Senju suddenly jumped as the black flames exploded in front of him.

Which caught the edges of his clothing.

The effect was instant; the black flames began to consume the other Senju's clothing, his screams of pain and agony echoing throughout the clearing along with his female compatriot.

It was not long until both were silenced, their bodies completely turned to ash.

Senkusha panted as he stared at them, his grip on the stone so tightly, his palm began to bleed from the pressure he was applying to it.

As he panted, he stammered to himself, "It is mine…"

As he said this, the black flames began to spread, catching fire to the nearby undergrowth, spreading to the higher branches, a pillar of smoke and ash quickly forming as the fires spread.

Senkusha paid the flames no mind, his eyes still blurry as he fell to his knees, and reached up, grabbing his face as the pain soon became unbearable…and blood trickled from his eyes.

He slowly began to open his eyes as his vision began to return to him, and he stared into the crimson black stone in his palm.

Beholding his reflection in the stones surface.

Watching as his Sharingan eye twisted and warped, the ring and the tomoe distorting and morphing together, forming a three pointed star.

Senkusha saw this, and a dark and cruel grin crossed his features as he raised his head, "It will _all_ be mine."

Time Skip...the Founding of Konoha

Hashirama Senju stood in front of a great vault, fashioned from the hardest steel in all of the elemental nations, adorned with seals that had been developed and integrated by the finest Fuinjutsu masters in the known world.

He sighed heavily as he looked upon the vault, and sighed, he truly wished he did not need to construct the vault before him, but the events from three months prior had left him with little alternative.

Two months prior, the Uchiha clan had launched a full scale assault upon Senju clan territory. It was a massacre, with the Uchiha killing a vast majority of the Senju clan, men, women, and even children. None were spared from their wrath.

Hashirama had arrived after the assault had begun, and with the combined efforts of himself and his brother Tobirama, they had managed to break the back of the Uchiha forces.

However, it was not long before the Uchiha clan launched their own counterattack, led by an Uchiha who Hashirama knew well…Madara Uchiha.

Hashirama and Madara fought one another as their clans slaughtered one another around them.

The two Shinobi fought until their weapons broke, they fought until they exhausted themselves of chakra, and they fought until the final blow was dealt.

By the end of it, Madara lay defeated, at Hashirama's mercy.

However, instead of killing Madara, Hashirama proposed an end to the two clan's endless conflict; they proposed a way to finally live together in peace.

Despite Madara's hatred for the Senju clan, the rest of his clan forced his hand, and so he agreed to Hashirama's a treaty between the two, on the terms of the Senju clan.

However, when the terms were presented, it almost sparked their conflict all over again.

The Uchiha clan was forced to hand over vast reparations, much of their wealth, their jutsu, weaponry, even ancient tablets which had been passed down from father, to son, to mother, to daughter for more generations than the Uchiha clan could remember, and countless other treasures of their clan. However, their desire for peace outweighed their desire to keep what they owned.

So with indignant acceptance, the Uchiha clan handed over what they had. It was a small comfort to them that the only treasures the Senju could use without an Uchiha's help would be the wealth the Uchiha had accumulated over the years, everything else was useless in their hands.

Despite this, their treasures were still confiscated as reparations for the great losses suffered by the Senju clan. And to ensure the Uchiha could never use them, a great vault was constructed to ensure no Uchiha could ever reclaim their lost treasures.

Hashirama sighed heavily, he truly did not desire to do this, but it was necessary. He only hoped in time the Uchiha clan would change, and perhaps they could have their treasures returned to them.

With a heavy sigh, he turned and looked at the Samurai who stood behind him, each one carrying items which were at one time, owned by the Uchiha, "Alright, start loading up the vault."

The Samurai had been sent as a neutral party by the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni, who had sold the land which would soon be home to the first Hidden Village, to the Senju and Uchiha clans. They were there as a security force until the village had a stable government, for now, it was more or less run by a joint meeting between the various Clan leaders of the clans which had chosen to become a part of this new village.

It was a slow process, but every great idea has a small beginning after all.

One of the Samurai lifted up a large chest, and passed it off to a waiting Samurai. Sighing heavily, wiping his brow, he turned back to the pile to grab something.

In the corner of his peripheral vision, he caught sight of a light glimmer, and turned his head to see what it was.

Off in the corner of the pile, there was an ornate black box with golden handles.

Curious, the Samurai walked over to the box and looked it over. It certainly wasn't like anything he had ever seen, and he didn't remember anything like this being on the list of things to go into the vault.

Turning his head, he looked back to a Samurai speaking with Hashirama, "Hey, I found something that I didn't see on the list. What should I do with it?"

The Samurai and Hashirama turned to him, "What is it?"

The Samurai shrugged his shoulders, "I'm not sure, it is some kind of black box with ornate drawings on it." he took a closer look, "Wait, I think I see a name on it."

Hashirama looked at the Samurai, "What is the name?" he then looked at the Samurai he had been talking to, "Perhaps it was collected by accident?"

The Samurai looked at the box, "It says…Senkusha Uchiha."

The Samurai talking with Hashirama quirked an eye, "Senkusha?" he looked at Hashirama, "Is there a 'Senkusha Uchiha' that you know of?"

Hashirama looked down as he tried to put a face to the name.

After the Uchiha and Senju treaty, both Uchiha and Senju clan members had to be accounted for, every man, woman and child were to be noted, catalogued, and filed. He had memorized the names and faces of every single member of the Uchiha clan.

But he could not put a face to the name Senkusha, "No, but the name is very familiar, that I will admit."

The samurai ran a finger over it, and began to rub their fingers together, "Well, whoever they are, they didn't take very good care of their stuff, this box is covered in dust, I don't think it has been opened in a while."

The other Samurai spoke up, "Maybe it was just something they wanted to get rid of?"

Hashirama sighed, "Maybe."

The Samurai stood up and pointed at the box, "So, what should I do with this then?"

Hashirama sighed once more and pointed towards the vault, "Just stick it in the vault with everything else."

The Samurai shrugged, "Alright." he then proceeded to grab the handles of the box, and made his way inside the vault.

Other Samurai were stacking the shelves of the vault, scrolls, crates, weapons, everything that the Senju clan couldn't use, but was taken from the Uchiha as reparations.

The Samurai finally stopped in front of an empty shelf, and looked down at the box, "Well, looks like you will be collecting dust here." he placed the box on the shelf, clapped his hands, and was about to turn away.

"_Ichiro…"_

The Samurai stopped mid turn, and looked around, "Huh, who said that?"

As he looked around, he realized the others had left the vault.

He was alone.

Scratching his head in confusion, "What the-"

"_Ichiro…"_

He jumped, and turned in the direction he heard the voice…

He could not help but quirk his head in confusion as he stared at the box.

"What?" he asked himself.

"_Ichiro…set me free…"_

Ichiro did not know what was going on, but for some reason, he began to reach for the box.

"_Yes…Ichiro…set me free…"_

Ichiro's eyes glazed over as he continued to reach for the box.

"_Ichiro…"_

"_Ich_iro…?"

"Ichiro?"

Ichiro's eyes regained their light, and he turned his head to his side, seeing one of his comrades looking at him worriedly, "Ichiro, are you alright?"

Ichiro stared at him, "Uhm, yeah…" he glanced back at the box, "Yeah, I am fine."

The samurai looked unconvinced, "Are you sure?" he looked at the box Ichiro had been staring at, "You seemed to have been staring into space."

Ichiro looked back at the box, "Yeah, I am fine." blinking a couple times and rubbing his eyes, he smirked back at his friend, "Hey, how about we go out for drinks? My treat."

The samurai stared at him, "Ok who are you and what have you done with Ichiro?"

Ichiro laughed and slapped the other samurai on the back, "Ah cut it out Kojiro, we both know you cannot resist free drinks."

The now named Kojiro stared at him for several seconds, before his face split into a wide grin, "Huh, can't argue with you there." he turned and headed off to leave the vault, "Don't try and skip out on me again Ichiro."

Ichiro chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, I know you old drunk you." he headed off after Kojiro, the two joking and laughing as they left the vault.

Hashirama took one last glance into the vault, before he took a heavy sigh, and closed it shut.

Never knowing, that his thoughtless decision, had doomed all of mankind.

* * *

**Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...**

Senkusha-Name means 'Harbinger'

Now, before any of you ask in the reviews, or make an assumption…under absolutely no circumstances is Kushina Uzumaki the current, or former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko…THAT…is not happening. Do you hear me, under absolutely NO CIRCUMSTANCES is that happening in this story! NEVER! I HATE that concept! HATE IT!

Also, a friendly reminder, please read and review the following stories…

Eye of the storm-Lord of Daemons

Onigumo: The Demon's Web-Lord of Daemons

Naruto: Strange Aeons-Lord of Daemons

Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

Now, I am sure there are those of you who have played Diablo 3, and are wondering why I added parts that were not from the first game. There was important reasoning as to WHY I did that.

1. Why did I add the two Aspects of Terror and that Demon Knight before the Nephalem got to the Crystal Arch?: I added that because it made no sense to me as to why Diablo did not have his subordinates guarding the staircase, even if he had corrupted the Crystal Arch.

2. Why did Diablo explain how he orchestrated everything to this moment?: Diablo had corrupted the Crystal Arch, the angels were powerless, and he did not deem the Nephalem a threat, basically, he felt no need to keep anything a secret since he wasn't afraid of the Nephalem.

3. Why did I alter Diablo's dialogue?: Let's face it, his dialogue was for a boss fight, not a final battle in a story, if it wasn't just a boss battle, the dialogue would have been better than it was in the game.

4. Why did I adjust the Realm of Terror as I did?: In Diablo 3, all the Realm of Terror was, was a shadowy Diablo boss fight, I really saw no reason to do anything LESS than adjust it.

5. Why was the Nephalem no match for Diablo on her own?: Diablo as the Prime Evil had become one with all of the seven evils. That is the power of the seven great evils all in a single body. I find it hard to believe that a Nephalem who just awoke their powers would be a match against him.

6. Why were the Archangels not weakened from the Crystal Arch's corruption?: They were, just not as severely as they were in Diablo 3. They had lost some of their power, but they are Archangels, not just any Archangels, but they were formed from Anu's prime virtues, Justice, Hope, Wisdom, Valor, and Fate. Beings like that are not easily felled.

7. Why was Tyrael able to become an Archangel again?: He fell WILLINGLY…unlike Izual, who simply fell, Tyrael chose to become what he is. So, logic would reason that he could CHOOSE to become an Archangel once again under the right circumstances, in this case, he was back in the High Heavens.

8. Why did Malthael come back to the High Heavens?: The Crystal Arch had been corrupted, and he, despite leaving the High Heavens, sought to rectify this.

9. How did the broken shards of the Black Soulstone return to Sanctuary?: Here is the logic I am using…the High Heavens are a holy place, unholy things are not allowed there, so the High Heavens rejects their very presence. Now, this would mean that any demons who charge into the High Heavens would be weakened, or artifacts would be powerless in the High Heavens if they were unholy by nature. In this case, the shards of the Black Soulstone were weak enough individually, that they were banished from the High Heavens, their destination, Sanctuary.

10. Did the Soulstone shard give Senkusha the Sharingan?: No it did not.

11. Did the Soulstone shard give Senkusha the Mangekyou Sharingan?: No, what the Soulstone did was twist Senkusha's will, forcing him to do what needed to be done to activate the Mangekyou Sharingan.

12. Why did the Uchiha have to pay reparations to the Senju clan?: The Senju clan had won the war that had been going on between them, therefore, the Senju clan got to set the terms of the treaty between the Uchiha and Senju clan.

13. Why did the Uchiha agree to the Senju clans terms?: They were weary of fighting, wanted it to stop, and so decided paying reparations was a necessary evil.

14. Will Ichiro and Kojiro make a later appearance?: No, they were just characters that were used to make a point about the Soulstone. They might be briefly mentioned in passing, but that is all, nothing more than that.

Hopefully that answers your questions

Until the next update, this has been dracohalo117 and Lord of Daemons...Ja-ne.


	2. Lighting the Fuse

**Disclaimer: **Neither I, nor my writing partner Lord of Daemons owns Naruto or Diablo…Naruto is owned by Masashi Kishimoto…Diablo is owned by Blizzard

**Oc's and Concepts:** The Original characters and concepts of this story were created Lord of Daemons and myself, we worked very hard to create the original characters and the concepts, and we would appreciate that you do not use our Original Characters or our concepts without expressed permission from **BOTH** of us.

**Notice:** In case any of you are wondering, or have not noticed this story, along with just about any other story made by myself, and Lord of Daemons will be AU, the characters will be OOC, and above all else, we will NOT be following canon. We will extract elements FROM canon, but we will not be doing a rewrite of the canon storyline.

**Important!:** Read the bottom AN, concepts in this chapter will be slightly confusing at first, and I know many of you will send vast quantities of Hate Mail for them for one reason or another, though hopefully after you read our reasoning for those concepts you will understand.

**Attention!**: I am asking those of you who read my stories, and read the stories of others, to hear me out.

I have been on FanFiction for a long time, so long that the only reason I remember when I got on FanFiction is because the day I started FanFiction, an important event happened in my life. Over the years I have seen so many authors publish great works, wonderful and elaborate stories that I tried to emulate as I tried to perfect my own writing style.

At the same time though, I saw many stories and many authors go unappreciated. I have seen authors give up on FanFiction because they receive so few hits and reviews. Now note, I understand many of you don't have the time in a day to read every single story on FanFiction, I dedicate hours of my day to FanFiction and I still don't get to as many stories as I would like to get to. But some of these authors I feel are working so hard on their Fanfics, and aren't getting the praise and fanbase that the amount of effort and careful detailing they put into their work deserves.

Hell, I know of at least a couple Fanfic authors who are considering leaving the site because they are unappreciated.

I know, I know, many of you will say that you shouldn't write for anyone other than yourself, I get that. However, I can admit that although I write for myself, I feel down whenever my work isn't appreciated by others, especially when I put so much time and effort into it.

Here are stories I personally recommend…I have followed these stories for a while, and I feel they deserve more recognition for the amount of work the authors put into each of them.

Eye of the storm-Lord of Daemons

Onigumo: The Demon's Web-Lord of Daemons

Naruto: Strange Aeons-Lord of Daemons

Naruto's Butterfly-gadman85

Devils Advocate-livezinshadowz

The Redeemer-thebigmacattack

Rise of Yami no Naruto-Kami no Uzumaki

Please read and review these stories, they are really great stories, and I personally feel they are not getting the attention they deserve.

Now, before any of you ask in the reviews, or make an assumption…under absolutely no circumstances is Kushina Uzumaki the current, or former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko…THAT…is not happening. Do you hear me, under absolutely NO CIRCUMSTANCES is that happening in this story! NEVER! I HATE that concept! HATE IT!

**Please show your support...read, write, review, PM, or if you absolutely must, flame with LEGITIMATE reasons...**

******Please check out the poll on my profile...**

* * *

A century…nearly a century had passed since the final confrontation between the Senju and Uchiha clans, where the Senju claimed victory over the Uchiha, and from that victory, the village of Konohagakure no Sato, had been erected within the nation of Hi no Kuni, under the blessing of the daimyo himself. Since that time, Konoha had been a part of a great many battles to ensure its dominance and continued survival, as they had not been the only ones to forge a Shinobi village.

To the deserts in the south-west, where the sands burned the skin of those who walked upon its surface, the village of Sunagakure no Sato had been constituted, created from the nomadic clans, who for years had fought to control one Oasis after another. They unified as a means to survive, and it was not long before these clans, tribes, and small nomadic families, erected a great wall to protect its citizens from the burning sands, while within the walls confines, towering structures of mud and brick turned what was once a small tribal community, into a bustling village.

To the north-west of Hi no Kuni, hidden by the rocky mountain ranges, another village was constructed, which came to be known as Iwagakure no Sato. Carved from the rocky landscape by wandering tribes, which had banded together as resources became scarce, and populations within the tribes began to take a downward spiral. They consolidated an alliance, which at the time, was the only means to survive the bitter landscape. Within a matter of months, because of this alliance, the population spiked, as this village drew in a number of merchants and other wandering tribes, and for the first time, they had the safety to raise a family of more than just a single child.

To the north-east, land locked by a peninsula, a village had been begotten by warrior clans, and from the highest peaks at the center of the peninsula, the village of Kumogakure no Sato had been birthed. The nation of which they settled had few places in which farms or small villages could form, the entire peninsula was purely a survival scenario, where only the strongest and smartest fighters survived. Farmers and settlers had little chance of survival, as it occurred often that a night raid would destroy their farms and homes by the warrior clans who sought to keep their own alive. In time however, the warrior tribes grew weary of the constant battle, and traveled to the center of the peninsula, climbed the high peaks, and found the bounty of harvest to be had…hidden in the clouds.

To the seas in the east, on the greatest of the many islands, a village had been fashioned out of the blood and carnage which soaked the isolated islands. The islands, though close to one another, were still separated by a great sea, and each island contained resources and the likes that the other islands needed. Due to the isolation, and the need to survive, the tribes which dotted the islands fought one another to take the resources they needed by force. Clans died off and were miraculously reborn a hundred times over, until soon enough, the resources they had madly fought over began to dry up and die out. On one of the islands however, one even more cut off from the others, yet closer to the mainland than any of them, the tribes had been able to acquire food and tools without the need for violence, and from this, a change had occurred, one that they shared with the nearby islands, extending a welcoming arm, giving food and tools that allowed the once isolated tribes to cultivate their own resources, and use the ones they still in a far more meticulous manner. It is because of this, that the once murderous warrior tribes of these islands aggregated, and consummated what would come to be known as Kirigakure no Sato.

These four villages, along with Konohagakure, were the first, and arguably, the mightiest of the villages that were birthed. These five villages in time came to be called 'the five great hidden villages'.

Even still, smaller, yet formidable villages were birthed in between immense towering structures that were the five great hidden villages.

In the tall grasses to the east of Hi no Kuni, a farming community was born, and in time, to combat bandits and the occasional wandering shinobi, they turned their tools which had been used to cultivate life, into weapons used solely to destroy it. From this, the village of Kusagakure no Sato was established, and in the towering forests to the north west, a nomadic tribe settled beneath a great tree, in a region of the forests that to this day remains unknown. The nomadic tribe found something in those forests, which had caused them to become a deadly force. From this still hidden location, the village of Takigakure no Sato was forged.

The formation and establishment of the villages allowed for trade, for a prosperous and healthy population to flourish and grow in relative safety. Before the villages formed, children were lucky to have a childhood, adults were lucky to live to twenty, and most children were born from those who were still children themselves. With the birth of the hidden villages, the clan war era had ended…

And the Shinobi era had begun…

Even after the establishment of the villages, the founders had been warrior clans, warrior tribes, they were born from conflict, all they knew was conflict, and so it was inevitable that conflict would resume, only this time, it was on a much grander scale than ever before, where entire nations of warriors would battle against one another. Even when battle didn't occur, the villages were in a constant state of silent war, and a constant arms race was occurring, each nation trying to stay one step ahead of their enemies. At the center of all this, at a constant crossroads between all these warring nations, was Konohagakure itself. Because of this, they were at a tremendous disadvantage…but also possessed the greatest advantage. Because they had enemies on all sides, they were under constant threat from being invaded on multiple fronts, at the same time, their foes had to enter Hi no Kuni, Konohagakure's territory, which they knew better than their enemies, which gave them a tremendous advantage against invading forces. They knew the terrain, they knew which way was which, and they knew how to bring their enemies into ambushes and choke points where they were ripe for the slaughter.

Because of this, Konohagakure had not only survived, but also came out on top in all three of the 'Shinobi World Wars'. They became the greatest of the five great hidden villages, the mightiest, the most powerful of them all. This fact had brought them prestige and power in an era of constant tension, and in a way, peace.

However, it is an established fact that even the strongest predator shall fall against a greater foe…

Konohagakure learned this lesson well on October tenth, as the sun waned, and the time turned to dusk, and before they even had the chance to defend themselves…

The Kyuubi no Yoko turned a third of their village into a pile of ash.

Konohagakure-Merchant District…fifteen minutes after the Kyuubi attacked

A young man with azure eyes and black hair groaned as he lifted a fallen beam off of a child, who wailed in pain. The falling beam had snapped the child's leg, and would be unable to walk by themselves.

The young man groan as the beam began to cut into his hands, "Damn it Hitomi help me!"

Off to the side, barking orders to civilians who were trying to escape the burning district, a woman with a heart shaped face, and a generous figure turned her head towards the young man. Her long brown hair swishing as she jumped off her perch and ran to him. She grabbed the child from underneath the beam and ran back towards the crowd, shoving the child in the hands of an older man, who swiftly took the child and started to run towards the bunkers with the rest of the crowd.

The azure eyed man dropped the beam, and panted heavily as he looked at Hitomi, "How many so far?"

Hitomi glanced at the azure eyed man, "About fifty seven Shigeko."

The now named Shigeko cursed underneath his breath, "Kuso…now what?"

Hitomi frowned and looked towards the burning merchant district, "Save as many as we can…"

Shigeko clenched his fists and smashed his foot against the ground, but nodded his head regardless, "Hai, Taichou."

The two turned to head into the district, "Shinobi-san!"

Both turned their heads, to see the man that had been handed the child before running towards them, the child still in his arms.

Hitomi's eyes widened slightly, "What happened, you were supposed to head to the bunk-"

The man interrupted her, "We can't, a building collapsed, in front of us…i-it…it…" he began to choke up at his words.

Shigeko stepped forward, "What happened?!" he said with a bit of a shout.

The man stammered out, "I-it fell on top of the crowd…I-I don't know if anyone got past it…"

At this moment, Hitomi's eyes widened, "No…" she turned her head to where she had told the group to go, "No…NO! Ayame!" she moved to run to find the fallen building, only for Shigeko to stop her, "Let me go! My baby!"

Shigeko grunted as he tried to hold her, "Hitomi, calm down!"

Hitomi snarled and turned and grabbed him, "Don't you dare tell me to calm down, my daughter-"

"Was at the very front of the group with your husband! He was probably past the building by the time it fell! You need to calm down now!"

Hitomi stopped thrashing as Shigeko finished.

Shigeko sighed, "Look, you are worried, I know, but despite Teuchi being a damn Ramen chef, he can take care of himself, and Ayame. Right now, we need to save as many people as possible, we can't do our job if you start freaking out, so you need to calm down…Ayame will be fine, you got it?" he spoke with a stern conviction. When Hitomi didn't reply, he grabbed her shoulder and said louder, "Do you got it?!"

Hitomi nodded her head, but she was obviously upset, she sniffed and looked up, "I-I got it."

Shigeko nodded; "Good…" he then turned his head to the man holding the child, who was still whimpering, "Did anyone else survive?"

The man nodded, but he was obviously straining himself doing so, "Y-yes, about…s-six…seven others…I-I think…"

Shigeko cursed again, "Damn…" he turned his head to Hitomi, "Taichou, is there any other way to the bunker, besides the route they all went on?"

Hitomi snapped her head up, and slowly nodded, "Y-yes…" she looked around, "I-it's this way." she said pointing down an alleyway, "We can cut through the alleys and make it to the main road, the area should still be clear, b-but it will be a longer route."

Shigeko nodded his head, "Alright." he then turned his attention to the man with the child, "You, get the others and gather them here quickly, we will guide you to the road, now go!"

The man nodded, and Shigeko took the child from his arms as the man went back to get the others.

The man ran back to the small number of people that had survived the falling building, and skidded to a halt in front of them, he took a glance over them, and counted seven people total, four adults, a teenager, and two kids, a boy and a girl.

The little girl clung to an older man, who stumbled forward, even as the little girl clung to him, "What happened Isamu?"

The man, now known as Isamu, stammered, "T-there is another way to t-the bunker…w-we need to go, now!"

The older man nodded, and bent down, picking up the little girl, who snuggled herself against him, "Lead the way Isamu."

Isamu nodded and turned and stepped forward…

"**RWOOAARR"**

Only for the ground beneath their feet to tremble as the Kyuubi unleashed a terrible roar, and a shockwave occurred from the sheer force of the roar.

The already damaged buildings nearby began to creak, and several more began to topple over…one of which was falling towards them.

Isamu's eyes widened, and he screamed, "Move!" and he ran as fast as he could to get out of the buildings path.

The other civilians did the same as the building came crashing down on the location.

Isamu had fallen over, the force of the crash sending him sprawling back even further than he intended. He slowly stood up, and turned to the survivors.

"Otou-sama!"

Isamu snapped his head around and saw the little girl, covered in blood tugging on her father's arm, crying as she tried to pull him out from underneath the rubble.

The little girl whimpered as she grabbed her father's arm. As the building came down, the father could not move fast enough, so as a last ditch effort to save his daughter, he threw her as far as he could, she skidded on the ground, cutting up her arms and legs…while her father was crushed by the falling house…even now, he was coughing up blood as he drew his last breaths of life.

The little girl whimpered, "O-Otou-sama, p-please…y-you have to get up…" her face was streamed with tears as her bloody hands tried to pull her father out of the rubble.

This was the sight that Isamu was treated to as he slowly walked to the little girl. He lowered his head and looked around, his head hung low…nobody else had been able to escape the falling building, and now, it seemed that this little girl would be an orphan.

The father coughed, and slowly raised his free hand, and brought it close to his daughters face, "Y-Yoshiko-chan…"

The now named Yoshiko sniffled as she grasped her father's hand, "Ot-Otou-s-s-sama…"

The father smiled softly, even as he coughed, blood dribbling down his cheek, "M-my Yoshiko…chan…" he gasped for air as he slowly turned his head to Isamu, and nodded his head, beckoning Isamu closer.

Isamu slowly walked forward, and got on his knees.

The father stammered, trying to use what little life he had left to speak, "I-Isamu…t-take m-my daughter…k-keep her safe…"

Isamu scrunched his lips, trying to keep his composure and slowly nodded his head, "I-I will Kouhei…I-I will…"

Yoshiko's father…Kouhei…smiled softly, "G-good…" he gingerly turned his head back to Yoshiko, who was sobbing almost uncontrollably as she simply kneeled there, "Y-Yoshiko…musume…"

Yoshiko sniffled and looked at her father, "H-hai Otou-sama…" she said barely above a whisper.

Kouhei slowly raised his hand and moved his lips, "I-I…l-love…"

…

…

…

No more words escaped his lips, as his hand fell limp, and his head fell along with it as the last breath of life left his broken body.

Yoshiko whimpered, "O-Otou-sama…" no answer came to her, causing her to reach forward and grab his arm, "Otou-sama…w-wake up…" she began to shake his arm.

Isamu lowered his head further as he stood, "Yoshiko…I…"

Yoshiko didn't listen, and she shook Kouhei's arm harder, "Otou-sama…p-please…w-wake up please…" her tears began to flow like a river as she bit her lip, "P-please…please…"

Isamu gingerly grabbed Yoshiko from underneath the arms, a solemn look on his face as he pulled her away from Kouhei's body.

Yoshiko whimpered more as she held tightly onto her father's long sleeve, "Otou-sama! P-please wake up!" she tightened her grip, causing his shirt to tear as she was pulled from him.

Isamu grit his teeth as tears welled up in his eyes, and he pulled on Yoshiko again.

The result was part of her father's sleeve tearing off, as Isamu carried her away from the scene.

Yoshiko began to scream and sob, "No, Otou-sama! We can't l-leave Otou-sama!" she reached for him with her other hand as she subconsciously tightened her grip on the sleeve.

She could only watch as she got further and further away from her father's body.

She began to scream ever louder, "Otou-sama! Otou-sama!"

"Otou-sama!"

With Hitomi and Shigeko

Hitomi was pacing back and forth as they waited for the group of civilians, and Shigeko was in little better of a state.

However, they both stopped what they were doing when they heard sobbing coming down the alleyways and Isamu came towards them, carrying the still sobbing and Yoshiko.

Hitomi walked towards him, "What happened, where are the others?"

Isamu looked down, "T-they…d-didn't make it."

Hitomi bit her lip and looked away as Shigeko cursed underneath his breath.

"O-tou-sama…"

The two Shinobi turned their heads towards the still sobbing Yoshiko, who was clinging onto her father's torn sleeve like a lifeline.

Isamu sighed heavily and held her close, "Shhh, shhh, it's alright…your…" he swallowed as he began to choke up, "Your Otou-sama is in…a…a b-better place…" he sniffed as he tried to comfort the girl.

Shigeko lowered his head, before sighing and standing up, the child with the broken leg still in his arms, "Come on, we have to get to the bunkers now."

Isamu nodded and followed after Shigeko, Hitomi taking up the rear.

They dived through the alleys as more shockwaves struck the village, cause parts of the roof's to fall in their path, causing them to have to jump over the debris, or to find alternate routes.

Finally, the group of two Shinobi, one adult civilian, and two wounded children stormed out of the alleyways, and into the main road.

Hitomi sighed in relief, as from the current spot they could see the bunkers from their position, "Thank Kami-sama…" she looked at the others, "Come on, we are almost there." she stepped forward, followed by the small group of survivors.

'CRASH' only for them to be blown back by a sheer force, cracking the ground around them, and causing many a building to topple over, somehow, none of them fell atop the small and battered group.

Shigeko groaned as he sat up, the child in his arms whimpering in pain as their leg was even more broken than before, not to mention their fractured ribs. Isamu and Yoshiko had fallen and were separated, Yoshiko was able to barely stand, but she whimpered and cried. Hitomi had fallen the furthest away, being hit by the brunt of the shockwave.

Shigeko groaned and looked up towards where the bunker was…

Only for his eyes to widen in horror as he saw a massive orange furred limb blocking his line of sight, and blocking the main road.

He was not the only one to notice this, Hitomi, Isamu, and Yoshiko all looked up, and their eyes bulged in terror, as they looked upon the visage of the giant that was the Kyuubi no Yoko, its crimson red slitted eyes boring into their very souls.

The child in Shigeko's arms slowly opened their eyes…and beheld the last thing it would ever see in their life.

The gaping maw of the Kyuubi no Yoko, as it bit into the earth around them.

Kage Tower

In the Kage tower, Minato Namikaze, the Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato, the Kiroi Senko of Konoha, and hero of the third Shinobi world war, was desperately searching through every last scroll he could find inside the Kage vault. He had ripped through every last sealing scroll, jutsu scroll; he even went through Genjutsu and taijutsu scrolls, hoping that he could find something that could combat the Kyuubi no Yoko.

As he grabbed another pile of scrolls and dragged them to his desk, he looked out the window…and saw the Kyuubi smash its jaws into the main road.

He felt his heart tighten in his chest as he hoped that whoever the Kyuubi's victims were, they died quickly, that they didn't suffer. But deep down inside, he knew it was too much to ask.

Cursing, Minato read through each and every scroll, thanks to his incredibly quick level of reading, and is eidetic memory, he was able to skim through them and gleam all the information he could get from each scroll.

And in the time it took for Minato to read through the scroll, he felt his heart sink lower into his chest as he found…nothing.

Not even the forbidden scroll of seals yielded anything that could help him in defeating the Kyuubi no Yoko, no seal, no jutsu, nothing in the entirety of the scroll, and he had looked at the damn thing _twice_.

"_AHHHH!"_

Minato's head turned sharply towards the floor as he heard the agonized screams of his wife as she was giving birth in the specialized hospital room used exclusively for the Kage and their family.

She had been in there since the Kyuubi attack started, her water having broken during the evacuation…and the hospital was one of the first things hit when the Kyuubi attacked. She had been swiftly escorted to the Kage tower, where she was giving birth to twins.

Minato grit his teeth as his fingers tightened into a fist…and he screamed, "RAAAGGHHH!" he grabbed the forbidden scroll, along with the nearby piles, throwing them off his desk, and swung his fist into the desk…

'CRACK'

Causing the desk to crack from the force of his punch, fracturing his hand in the process.

Cursing as he grasped his fractured hand, he looked towards the haphazardly thrown scrolls lying all over the place…

And at the corner of his vision…he saw something.

When he threw the forbidden scroll, he threw it by the paper, which with the force he threw it with, should have torn it; but it didn't.

Slowly moving from his desk, he looked down at the scroll, and he glanced at what he had caught in his peripheral vision.

A seam, on the edge of the scroll.

He reached forward and grasped the scroll, rubbing his hand along the seam…causing the single sheet of paper, to split in two.

His eyes widening in shock, he opened the seam further, and to his astonishment, he found that the forbidden scroll of seals, was even larger than imagined.

Swiftly bringing the forbidden scroll to his desk, he opened the seam, revealing the other portion of the scroll. As he looked it over, he noticed how the scroll was designed. The seam was not difficult to open; however, it was placed in a manner that one could not accidentally brush their finger against it and find it, even if they had the forbidden scroll in their possession. The fact that Minato tossing the scroll aside revealed the hidden portion of the parchment was truly miraculous.

Minato turned his attention to the scroll itself, to see if there was anything in this portion which could help him…and his eyes widened as he stepped back from the scroll.

There was a reason these jutsu were hidden.

In the Shinobi village system, jutsu are labeled in a series of ranks, E-rank were the lowest ranks, these jutsu were techniques such as Bunshin or Kawarimi. Following that, were D-rank techniques, while more dangerous than E-ranks, were hardly a threat to seasoned Shinobi, or even rookies, such as Magan: Narakumi no Jutsu, which were hardly dangerous on their own, but when used in conjunction with other techniques, or were ever so slightly altered, could turn the tide against lower ranked or inexperienced forces. Higher on the ladder were C-ranks, such as Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu, deadly in the right hands, and debilitating in the wrong hands. Above them were B-rank techniques such as Magan: Jubaku Satsu, and even higher than that were A-rank techniques such as the likes of Kakashi Hatake's Chidori, or Minato's own Rasengan technique. However, above all of those, were techniques that were deemed forbidden, these techniques were outlawed for various reasons, whether it was deemed an inhumane technique, or some other reason, these techniques, such as the Edo Tensei, were considered a mark of evil.

But as Minato looked into the hidden part of the forbidden scroll…it was clear to him that there were techniques even above S-rank…and he was looking at a massive collection of them too.

He felt bile rise in his throat as he read some of the techniques. In his mind, he knew that he should never have seen these techniques…but what choice did he have?

Swallowing the bile in his throat, he looked through the scroll, trying to find something, anything that could help him turn the tide in his favor.

After scanning through over half a dozen jutsu, each one more vile and cruel than the last, he could barely stand to look at the scroll anymore, and he almost gave up, but he pushed onward…and found a particular set of inscriptions within the forbidden scroll, which described a seal, a powerful seal, one of which had been designed for a single purpose…

To defeat a Bijuu.

At this realization, hope swelled in Minato's heart, and he grabbed the edges of the scroll, bringing it closer to his face as he continued to read through instructions on how to perform the seal.

'_Bunri no Tamashi to Honshitsu, developed for the purpose of sealing a Bijuu, creating what is known as a 'pseudo-Jinchuriki'. This sealing technique requires chakra stores beyond A-rank, as well as two newborn vessels from which to harbor the Bijuu. What this seal does, is sever the Bijuu's soul from their youki, and seals the two parts into two vessels. The vessels can be no older than a week, as the youki of a Bijuu is too toxic for anyone older than that to survive, the same can be said for the Bijuu's soul, if the vessels are even a single second too old, then the youki will burn through their coils, causing a release of the Bijuu's youki. As for the Bijuu's soul, the soul will not be able to comingle with a soul that has asserted its place within the body, the Bijuu's soul will be freed, sometimes killing the child, and will begin to wander, and in time restore its lost power.'_

As Minato finished reading, he lowered his head as sorrow and self-loathing overtook him, wondering if fate existed, and if it did, if it was being cruel to him.

Minato was well versed in the concepts of Pseudo-Jinchuriki, where a child would be infused with the youki of a Bijuu, and due to that separation between the youki and the Bijuu's soul, the child would have absolute control over the youki…theoretically.

However, what bothered Minato, and drove him to despair, were the prerequisite of the seal…the vessels could be no older than a week old, and due to Konohagakure protocol, children, and their mothers, were in the hospital for a month to ensure the mother and infant were healthy, with some very few exceptions…and the hospital had been among the first things destroyed during the Kyuubi's rampage. He needed chakra stores that were above A-rank, otherwise trying to use the jutsu would be meaningless…and Minato's chakra stores were simply A-rank.

Minato's eyes began to brim with tears as he realized that the only way to stop the Kyuubi, would be to use his own newborn children…and would more than likely kill him.

But what other choice did he have?

And so with a heavy heart, he left the office, and headed down the stairs towards his wife's hospital room, to deliver the news of what he had to do.

Kushina was lying in the hospital bed, breathing heavily as she smiled softly down at the two bundles in her arm. After several agonizing hours of labor, she had given birth to twins, a boy, and a girl.

The medic-nin watching over her couldn't help but smile, "Congratulations Kushina-sama, you're a mother."

Kushina paid the medic-nin no mind as she snuggled her babies closer to her as they whimpered slightly in their sleep, trying to cuddle closer to their mother.

Nearby, another medic-nin was writing up some forms, and turned their head to Kushina, "Kushina-sama, what will you name the children?"

Kushina paid attention this time, and looked down at each child, "My son, will be named Naruto…" she then turned her gaze to the little girl, "And my daughter, will be named Natsumi."

The medic-nin smiled as they began to write out the birth certificates, "Beautiful names."

Kushina smiled, agreeing with the medic-nin as she looked down at both her children.

In her arm, Natsumi began to whimper as she extended her arm out, reaching towards Naruto.

Kushina smiled softly, "Awww, does Natsumi want to be with her Aniki?" she adjusted her hold on the children, so they were both lying together, while still being held in her arms.

Natsumi responded to this by snuggling up to Naruto, who gently held Natsumi with his little arms.

The medic-nin nearby cooed at the sight, and took several pictures.

This was the scene Minato came upon as he entered the private hospital room, and it made his heart break even further.

Kushina looked up, and smiled as she saw Minato, "Minato-kun…look…" she said gently indicating to the babies, who were still snuggled against one another.

Minato bit his lip, and forced a smile, "T-they're beautiful Kushina…"

Kushina noticed the stammer in Minato's voice, "What is it Minato?"

Minato gulped slightly, and looked at the two medic-nin in the room, "Leave us."

The two looked at the Yondaime in confusion, "But, Yondaime-sama, we-"

"Leave us!"

The two medic-nin jumped back at the sudden shout that came from their leader…after a single second of composure, they both exited the room, leaving Minato and Kushina alone with the babies.

Kushina frowned, "Minato, what's going on?" her husband was not one to lose his temper easily, in fact, he was not one to shout, so his sudden behavior was concerning to her.

Minato lowered his head, "The Kyuubi…"

Kushina's eyes widened slightly, due to the pain of giving birth, she had completely forgotten about the Kyuubi, "What happened?!" she moved slightly, wincing in pain, her body still incredibly sore from giving birth.

Minato slowly walked forward, "I-I…I found a way to stop it."

Kushina's eyes lit up, and a grin crossed her features, "That's wonderful news!"

Minato lowered his head again, a single tear escaping his eye.

Kushina's grin turned into a frown, "Minato…"

Minato sniffled, "T-to stop the Kyuubi…I-I have to seal it into living vessels…" he slowly raised his head, "Two…young…living vessels…" he began to choke on his words.

Kushina stared at him, "Minato what are…you…" her eyes widened in realization at what Minato was saying, and looked down at her babies, still nestled in her arms, "No…No! Absolutely not!" she brought her babies even closer to her, shielding them with her arms, "I won't let you turn our babies into Jinchuriki! I won't!"

Minato choked, "Kushina, l-listen I-"

"No _you_ listen! I will not, ever, under any circumstances allow my babies to be used to hold a demon, do you understand me-"

"Damn it Kushina what choice do we have?!" he shouted, tears streaming down his face, "I-I couldn't find any other way!" he brought up his hands and held out several fingers, "No Ninjutsu, no Genjutsu, no taijutsu, no spell even, that could stop the Bijuu, damn it Kushina! Do you think I want this?!"

Kushina didn't speak, instead, she defiantly held her children close to her.

Minato looked down, and sighed heavily, "Kushina…if I don't do this, our children will not see the sunrise…we can't evacuate, otherwise I would have done that already…Kushina-hime, I am out of options."

Kushina looked down at her babies, who had fallen asleep, even with her and Minato's shouting. She gently moved her hand, and gingerly caressed their heads, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips, "O-okay…" she stammered out as tears began to brim and flow down her cheeks.

Minato looked up, "Kushina…?"

Kushina sighed heavily, and looked at Minato, "Okay…" and slowly held out the children for Minato to take.

Minato sighed heavily, and walked forward, and reached for the two newborns…only to freeze in place as he was struck with an intense and precise killing intent from Kushina herself.

Kushina's eyes were narrowed, and she spoke with venom, "They come back alive, unharmed, and unblemished…or it's your ass Minato."

Minato slowly nodded his head as the killing intent was released. With a slow motion, he took Naruto and Natsumi from Kushina, and slowly turned around, hiding the look of sorrow on his face as he left the room.

He didn't have the courage to tell her that the seal he was about to use would more than likely kill him.

Konoha

The Kyuubi no Yoko roared as its paws slashed through the earth, attacking anything and everything with ruthless intent as it turned the once bustling merchant district into a mountain of dust and ash.

The Kyuubi turned its head upwards, and roared to the sky, and for the briefest of moments, the Kyuubi's slitted eye was overtaken by a shimmer of three tomoe.

At the same time, Minato Namikaze, Yondaime Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato…and father to twins, leapt over the burning buildings, holding his children tightly against his chest, his path leading towards the Kyuubi no Yoko.

The Kyuubi slashed at the nearby buildings and smashed its tails into the landscape, either not noticing, or not caring for incoming Minato's presence.

Minato skidded to a halt on the mountains of rubble, and slowly put down his children on a cool surface.

Minato took in a deep breath, and shot through several hand seals, "Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" and slammed his hand into the ground beneath him, and in a massive cloud of smoke, both Minato, and his children shot into the sky, the cloud of smoke clearing away suddenly, revealing a massive toad, smoking a pipe, and wielding a massive sword upon his back.

The toad grunted, and turned its eye upward, **"Minato? Why have you summoned me-"**

"**RWOOAARR!"**

The toad stopped its sentence and blinked, **"Uhm…never mind."**

Minato gasped and panted, "Gamabunta-sama, I need you to attack Kyuubi, keep it in place long enough for me to do what needs to be done!"

Gamabunta snorted, and looked at Minato, **"Fine, but after this is over, we need to have a little talk about what you **_**can**_** summon me for, and what you **_**can't**_** summon me for."** he then reached for his blade, pulling it out with speed that shouldn't have been possible for one his size, and shot at the Kyuubi, Minato and the children still safely upon his head.

Minato grit his teeth as he began to perform the necessary hand signs with one hand, while he kneeled down to where his children were, and using a brush and ink began to draw the seals upon their abdomen.

Meanwhile, Gamabunta slashed at Kyuubi, who simply blocked the immense blade from harming it, and slashed at the toad summon.

Gamabunta jumped back, and then shot forward again, slashing viciously, while he shot out globs of water at the great beast.

The water struck the Bijuu, but did little more than steam against its body.

Minato panted as he finished with the seals, as well as all but the last hand sign of the technique. He slowly stood upright, and then reached into his pouch, grabbing a handful of chakra replenishing pills.

In a single motion, he tossed the handful of pills into his mouth, and bit down, swiftly swallowing them…and screamed in pain as the pills instantly took effect, flooding his chakra coils with more chakra than he had ever had in them before.

Gamabunta had pushed the Kyuubi back, and had him pinned against the broken wall of Konoha, and screamed, **"Minato, do it now!"**

Minato grunted in pain, and looked down at his children…a single tear falling from each eye, "Forgive me…" and performed the final hand seal, "Bunri no Tamashi to Honshitsu!"

In that single instant, the children lit up with a burning blue light, as Minato shot his hands forward, his own chakra blazing out of him like a raging inferno, as he reached for the Kyuubi. Immense arms of chakra shot into the Bijuu, tearing through it entirely.

The beast swung its head back as it roared in agony.

Minato grit his teeth as he felt his chakra stores being drained by the second, and began to pull on the Bijuu itself.

The Beast roared in pain as its form began to shift and dissipate.

With a cry of agony, Minato gave one last pull…

In that instant, the Kyuubi's body shattered into two parts, each one condensed into two spheres in a matter of seconds, held by the chakra arms extending from Minato.

Minato coughed and wheezed as he continued the jutsu, pulling the two spheres back with him…and shoving them into the seals he had placed on both his children.

The seals glowed as the Youki and soul were sealed away within his children.

Minato gasped as he fell over onto Gamabunta's head, his vision becoming cloudy as he felt the strain on his coils…the emptiness in them.

And as his vision failed him, as his eyes closed shut…he could see a spectral shape, reaching towards him.

Time-skip

Two days had passed since the Kyuubi's defeat, and already, the village had begun to rebuild. Shinobi and civilian alike were working together to rebuild the broken merchant district. From there, the Shinobi would use their jutsu to try and cleanse the scorched soil around Konoha in the hopes of allowing crops to grow inside the village walls again, as it was; they had to open up the dry storage vaults.

Meanwhile, medic-nin and doctors alike had converted old warehouses that had not seen use since the war, into a makeshift hospital, while the new hospital was being built, this time, much further from the walls.

However, even with the rebuilding effort, the scars left by the Kyuubi attack could not be forgotten, for the dead were beyond the count of grief.

A daughter crying by her father as they stood over an empty coffin, because the mother's body could not be found.

A husband kneeling over his wife's grave, his tears staining the coffin which contained her broken body.

A sister whom had thrown herself onto her brother's coffin, who had been so mangled by the Kyuubi's fierce youki, that the only way they had known it was him was by the bracelet scorched into his arm.

Stories such as these were told all across Konoha, as the dead were buried, cremated, and their ashes scattered to the winds.

However, without a leader, the current number of dead would only rise, as the Kyuubi attack had not been a silent event, and news of it had spread like wildfire, from the closest towns of Hi no Kuni, all the way to the Kage office of the Tsuchikage himself.

And without a leader to guide them, Konoha didn't stand a chance.

And so, because of this, the former Sandaime Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, retook the mantle as Hokage of Konohagakure no Sato.

At the moment, the Sandaime was sitting at the Hokage desk, as he examined the papers before him, the reports delivered by Hi no Kuni's border patrol…and the recommendations given to him by his old rival, Danzo Shimura. .

With a heavy sigh, Hiruzen grabbed a short rod with an insignia on the end, which had been sitting in an open flame, and pressed it against the form in front of him, a single thought going through his head…

'_I am too old for this shit.'_

As he approved the assassination of the daimyo of Tsuchi no Kuni.

Time Skip

In the Kage tower hospital room, a medic-nin was looking over a series of charts, and looking towards the prone form…of Minato Namikaze.

After sealing the youki and soul of the Kyuubi within his children, he had fallen unconscious. The sheer amount of chakra the technique required drained his chakra reserves down to the very last drop, by all accounts, he should have died. It was only due to the timely arrival of medic-nin, and the fact the chakra replenishing pills had forced his chakra network to produce more chakra, that he was still alive. However, it was not easy to save his life.

The medic-nin had forced chakra transplants, where through a complex and potentially life threatening seal matrix, they converted their own chakra to match Minato's chakra, which allowed his chakra circulatory system to keep his heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and brain functional. The medic-nin stood by him as he lay in the center of the seal matrix, for two days straight. Once his body had stabilized, and his chakra circulatory system began to produce enough chakra to keep his internal systems functional, they breathed a sigh of relief.

A hollow sigh however.

The trauma that his body had suffered, had placed him into a comatose state, and despite the efforts of the present medic-nin, they were unable to wake him from the coma…not even Tsunade Senju herself, who had returned to the village upon hearing about the Kyuubi attack, was able to wake him from his coma.

And so, since that day, Minato had been trapped in the Kage Tower's hospital room, hooked up to a machine that read his heart rate, brain wave activity, pulse, and so on, while he was fed his necessary nutrients intravenously, while a tube had been inserted so his bladder could be evacuated.

The medic-nin looked down at the Yondaime, and shook their head, seeing no discernible change thus far, even after a month.

Jotting down the readings from the machine, the medic then walked up to the Yondaime's bed, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, "Wake up soon Yondaime-sama…we need you."

This particular medic-nin had done this many a day, many an hour, and many a minute, hoping…praying, that their Yondaime would awaken from his coma.

And just like every other time they did this…they received no answer in return.

Lightly clenching their fingers and closing their eyes, they turned away from the Yondaime's bed, and moved to return to the medical camp constructed just outside the Kage tower, in order to perform their duties for the remaining wounded…

'Beep'

Only to stop suddenly, and turn around as they heard a loud beep heading from the brain wave scanner.

'Beep…beep…beep…'

The medic-nin's eyes widened, and they ran over to the Yondaime's bedside, looking him over.

A marginal tick here, a slightly scrunching of the eyelids, a heavier gasp escaping the Yondaime's lips.

All these were marginal, but this medic-nin had been trained under the tutelage of none other than Tsunade Senju for many a year, and they had seen these signs in many other cases of comatose patients, and knowing that, the medic-nin came to a single conclusion.

The Yondaime was waking up.

A smile spread across their features, and they backpedaled to the door of the room, and opened it, screaming into the hallway, "He's waking up! Yondaime-sama is waking up!"

The medic-nin turned their head back to the Yondaime…and their eyes widened as a frown began to form.

The minor twitches were slowing down, they were stopping…he was going back into his coma.

The medic-nin ran back to the Yondaime's bedside, and cursed, "No, no, no, don't you go back Yondaime-sama, don't you go back!" they charged healing chakra into their hands, and placed it over the Yondaime's forehead, and over their left temple.

The Yondaime's minor twitches came back, he was waking still.

The medic-nin panted as they felt their chakra being drained rather quickly from the strain, their black hair falling into her black eyes, "Damn it Minato, wake up!" the medic-nin shouted as she began to pour more of the healing chakra into Minato.

The door to the medical room slammed open, a woman with a sizeable bust, blond hair, and a purple diamond on her forehead standing in the frame, along with none other than Hiruzen Sarutobi, and two other medic-nin.

The medic-nin either did not notice, or simply did not care; focusing all of their effort on waking the Yondaime up, "Wake up!"

Electric blue eyes snapped open, and a gasp of air escaped the lips of the Yondaime, as he shot upwards, panting heavily.

The force of him shooting up sent the medic-nin stumbling backwards, being caught by the blond haired woman, who looked at them with concern, "Shizune!"

The now named Shizune looked up, heavy breathing escaping her lips, "T-Tsunade-sama?"

Tsunade looked over her with concern, "Shizune, are you alright?"

Shizune only nodded and smiled, "Y-yeah. Just…really tired." she began to slump as the drain on her chakra caught up with her.

Tsunade held her up, "Whoa, whoa there…okay, you have worked long enough." Tsunade then grunted as she lifted Shizune up bridal style, "You are going to the camp to sleep." and Tsunade began to walk out of the hospital room…but not before she smiled as she glanced between Minato and Shizune for a moment.

As they left, Hiruzen Sarutobi slowly walked up to the panting Yondaime, who began to look at his surroundings. Hiruzen stood next to his bed, and coughed, "Minato?"

Minato suddenly snapped his gaze to Hiruzen, and his eyes widened in shock.

For a few minutes, not a single word was said between the two, until Minato pointed at Hiruzen accusingly, "Alright, what the hell did you do to get sent to hell?"

…

…

…

Hiruzen just stared at Minato, an indignant look hardened on his face, "W-what?"

Minato pointed to his surroundings, "I am in a hospital, I hate hospitals! I died, so where else could I be besides hell?"

Hiruzen twitched, "Minato, you didn't die…"

Minato rolled his eyes, "Oh sure, I am sure somehow somebody got to me just before I dropped completely dead, and managed to save my life."

Hiruzen stared at him with a blank look, "Yes, actually, they did."

Minato frowned, "Prove it-"

'SMACK'

Minato fell completely off of the bed as a slap came from nowhere, sending him toppling over with enough force to send him crashing into the wall as well.

Before Minato could even groan in pain, he was lifted off the ground with an incredibly strong tug, and punched straight in the nose with enough force to break it, as well as bend some of his teeth a bit backwards.

Minato's head slammed back, and he finally let out a pain filled moan, and he slowly opened his eyes…

And he saw Kushina staring at him, her eyes burning angrily as she began to shake him, "What did I tell you Minato, what the hell did I fucking tell you when you went to go stop the Kyuubi?!"

Minato began to get shook around, to the point he felt his neck crack from the force of the shaking.

Kushina began to scream louder, and release killing intent and chakra, which began to chip away at the floor she was standing on, "I told you that they were to return to me alive, unharmed, and unblemished!"

At those words, Minato's eyes widened, "K-Kushina I-"

"Kushina-sama!"

Kushina stopped throttling Minato, and snapped her head to look at who had spoken, to see a nurse with her hands on her hips, frowning at Kushina.

"Kushina-sama, it may have been a month, but you shouldn't strain yourself so much! You are still recovering!"

Kushina frowned, and shoved Minato against the wall, and turned around in a huff, "Fine…"

At this point, Minato began to slowly push himself up, grunting in pain as he looked up at Kushina, then at Hiruzen, "Okay, I believe you."

Hiruzen smiled, "Good, now, since you are awake…take it." he said, whilst throwing the Kage hat at him, "Don't ever put me in a position where I have to wear that accursed thing ever again." he said with a slight growl, before he left the room, and bounded down the halls.

Kushina meanwhile looked at Minato, and grabbed him by the shoulder, "Come on Minato."

Minato yelped from her suddenly pulling him up, and dragging him out the door, "W-where are we going?"

Kushina didn't look at him as she spoke, "You'll see."

After she dragged him further down the hall, she opened a door, and shoved Minato inside, and crossed her arms, "Okay, now Minato, look at our children and tell me why I am upset with you."

Minato looked at Kushina, then slowly turned around…his eyes widening slightly.

Inside the room, was a queen size bed, and a crib next to the wall, a door leading to what he assumed was a bathroom, and two other doors leading to two smaller rooms, as well as a nearby closet. Minato focused all of his attention on the crib, and he slowly began to walk towards it.

He looked into the crib, and gasped as he saw what was in the crib…who was in the crib.

A little boy, no older than a month, with blond hair, which spiked up ever so slightly, his unblemished skin shining in the light of the room…and lying next to him was a little girl, the same age, with a mixture of blond and red hair…but as he looked at the girl, he saw what had to be the reason Kushina was upset with him.

On each cheek, were three whisker marks, which he could tell had not been drawn there, as they looked to be a part of her very skin.

With a slight gulp, he turned to Kushina, "Uhm…t-the whisker marks on o-our daughter?"

Kushina nodded, "Yep!"

Minato sighed, and looked down at the two children, and then turned back to Kushina…and braced himself, "I-I accept whatever punishment you choose to give me Kushina-hime."

…

…

…

Minato stayed like that, while Kushina simply walked to the crib, and gingerly picked up the little girl, "The broken nose was your punishment Minato."

Minato's eyes snapped open, and he slowly turned his head, looking at Kushina, "R-really?"

Kushina smiled and held the girl close to her chest, "Yes…" but she snapped her gaze at him, "But only because I find them cute, got that Minato?"

Minato jumped back, and nodded his head rapidly.

Kushina then smirked, before looking back at her daughter, "Good."

…

…

…

Minato stayed in the position he was in as he stared at Kushina, holding their daughter, "S-so…w-what is her name?"

Kushina smiled, and looked at Minato, "Her name is Natsumi."

Minato blinked, and smiled as he walked over to Kushina, looking over her shoulder, "Natsumi, it's a beautiful name dear."

Kushina giggled and looked at Natsumi, who began to yawn, causing both Kushina, and Minato to coo and tickle the yawning little girl.

As the two focused all their attention on the yawning girl with the whisker marks, neither noticed the small blond as he clenched his fingers tightly on the edges of his blankets, a whimper escaping his one month old lips.

* * *

**Translation**

Bunri no Tamashi to Honshitsu-Separation of Soul and Essence

Shigeko-Quiet, calm

Yoshiko-Good child

Kouhei-Calm, peace

Isamu-Courage, bravery

Now, I am sure there are those of you who are wondering why I did what I did with the chapter, since it diverts so far from canon.

1. Why did I describe how the Shinobi Villages began?: I described that in order to paint a picture of the Shinobi systems beginning, as well as why certain villages are the way they are.

2. Why did the first part of the chapter follow a group of Shinobi and Civilians that never appeared in canon or filler?: To show victims of the Kyuubi attack and how it happened. Frankly, I am tired of seeing the same old 'Minato beat the Kyuubi with Gamabunta' at the first start of every single chapter showing the Kyuubi attack. I wanted to show the suffering and despair of those within the attack, as it plays a role in later chapters.

3. Is Hitomi the mother of Ayame Ichiraku?: Yes.

4. Will her death play a role in Naruto's interaction with the Ichiraku's?: Do you really want spoilers?

5. Why was Minato searching through the scrolls so desperately to find a jutsu, taijutsu, genjutsu, etc, which could defeat the Kyuubi?: Because, if a giant fox demon attacks your village out of the blue, it makes sense you would have to look for a way to beat it. It makes absolutely no sense for a village that has never faced such an opponent before to have a 'here is a jutsu that can beat a Bijuu' box lying around.

6. Why was there a hospital room in the Kage tower?: The family of a Kage is usually highly important, and almost always requires a certain measure of protection, even normal hospitals are unsafe for a Kage's family, so it makes sense the Kage tower, likely the most secure location in a village, contains a hospital room, so as to protect the family, and thereby, protect the Kage.

7. Why was there a hidden seam on the forbidden scroll?: To hide jutsu beyond standard S-rank. It makes sense that jutsu beyond S-rank would be hidden away because of how powerful, or forbidden they are.

8. Why not simply get rid of the 'beyond S-rank jutsu'?: Konohagakure is a military village, I cannot think of any military village or nation which would throw away a potential weapon simply because of its power, or its 'forbidden nature'. That is just my stance.

9. Why did Kushina not want the children to be used to stop Kyuubi?: Love of a mother.

10. Why did Kushina eventually relent?: What other choice did they have?

11. Why did Hiruzen approve the assassination of the daimyo of Tsuchi no Kuni?: Will be explained in later chapters.

12. Is Kushina the former or current Jinchuriki?: I am only answering this because I know people will ask...no, she is not the current, or former Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi no Yoko, or any other Bijuu, demon, or otherwise.

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